Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about Hades, Hephaestus, and Ares, I'm going to take a break from the major Olympians and tell some of fabulous tales of the heroes, beginning with Theseus.
Aethra, Queen of Athens, has given birth to a baby boy, Theseus! A joyful event to be sure, except for the fact that Athens, led by her husband, King Aegeus, is at war with King Minos of Crete. King Aegeus and Queen Aethra together determine that it is not safe for Theseus to remain in war-torn Athens, so Aethra, with a retinue of slaves, departs for the countryside to the land of Troezen, where she raises Theseus.
Theseus grew into a very powerful young man. Not only was he good at hunting, throwing the spear, and wielding the sword, but he could out wrestle anyone else his age. One day, upon his 16th birthday, Theseus begged his mother Aethra to tell him where and who his father was. Relenting, she led him out into a field in which there was a huge boulder. She said that if Theseus could roll aside the boulder, he would be old enough to know who his father was. Theseus, excited by this proclamation, did not roll aside the boulder, but picked it up and hurled it away instead!
Theseus found, to his great astonishment, a pair of sandals and a sword lying underneath, ancient symbols of royalty. Theseus looked towards his mother in puzzlement. Aethra told Theseus that his father had given these to her for safe keeping, and were not to be given to him until he had reached the age of manhood.
The goodbye was heart-wrenching for Aethra, but Theseus was more than thrilled to set off for Athens to discover his long-lost father. The journey, however, was not to be easy, in fact it was not easy at all. The Labors of Theseus were four, and required not only strength to complete, but also brains.
The countryside through which Theseus was traveling alone was beset by thieves and robbers. The great oaf Corunetes first attacked Theseus with his great brazen (bronze) club. Although Theseus did not match Corunetes in strength, he was more agile than he was, and soon Corunetes was panting with exhaustion; Theseus easily finished him off, and commandeered his club, which he kept with him ever after.
Theseus next was walking innocently along when all of a sudden he heard a slight sound beneath him—it was a trap! Because Theseus had such great dexterity he was able to leap out of the way of a rope just in time.
The rope would have encircled him, stretching him to the breaking point as two pliant pine trees snapped upwards, holding the victim of the trap at full arms’ length, and then some, spreadeagled and unable to move. Theseus managed to reset the trap, and then lured Sinis, the creator of the trap, into it. The second robber was thus defeated by his own diabolical trap.
Theseus continued along, quite pleased with himself, until he was walking along a cliffside, the sea roaring beneath him. Suddenly he came upon an old man, Sciron by name, who asked him if he would help him tie his sandal as he had a hard time bending over due to a bad back. Theseus gladly acquiesced, his back to the cliff. Suddenly the old man tried to kick Theseus over the cliff, but luckily Theseus was so dexterous and agile that he managed to dodge and fling Sciron over the cliff instead! There he saw that a huge turtle devoured the robber, who was in league with the turtle: Sciron would kick unwary travelers over the edge of the precipice, the turtle would eat them, but would spit out all their valuables, which Sciron gathered for his own. The third labor was completed.
Theseus, tired after a long journey, approached an inn. There he met an innkeeper, whose name was Procrustes. Procrustes said that he had a special bed for Theseus that he would certainly enjoy after his long journey. Unbeknownst to Theseus, Procrustes would tie sleeping travelers to this bed, and cut off their legs if they were too long for the bed, or stretch them until their limbs popped if they were too short. Luckily Theseus was a light sleeper; as soon as Procrusted snuck into the room where he was sleeping and started tying on the bonds, Theseus figured out what he was up to and dodged him nimbly. He tied Procrustes to his own iron bed, leaving him to rot.
Theseus at long last reached Athens, a little bit disenchanted with the world. As he walked into the city, he noticed that everyone was sad, wearing black clothes of mourning. Puzzled, he approached an old man, who told him this sad tale:
“Today is the day that 7 youths and 7 maidens are to be chosen to be sent to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur, a horrible half-man, half-bull. No one knows for sure how the horrible Minotaur came to live at the palace of King Minos at Knossos; some say that Pasiphae gave birth to this man monster, others that it was sent as a curse by the gods. The toddler Minotaur was an absolute terror, running about the palace and ramming his horns into everything, smashing everything into smithereens. Finally both Minos and Pasiphae had had enough, so they hired Daedalus, the great inventor, to create a home for the Minotaur. Daedalus invented the Labyrinth, a place that one could never escape from after entering because of its winding passages that completely confused those who entered. After the Minotaur was placed within the Labyrinth, no amount of food could satisfy his hunger. He would wail and caterwaul and cry so loudly that everyone in the palace was going insane. Whole cows, huge sows, enormous boars were fed to him, but nothing availed. Until one day, one of Minos’s slaves died, and, in his desperation, King Minos fed the corpse to the Minotaur, and he was quiet for a month.
After King Aegeus lost the war to King Minos, one of the conditions of the treaty was that the Athenians must send 7 youths and 7 maidens to be eaten by the Minotaur once every 9 years. This is now the 3rd time we have to do it. This horrible condition was for the payment of the death of King Minos’s son, Androgeos. So today is that same fateful day. Alas and alack!”
What will Theseus do? How much tougher can life get? 4 nasty robbers! A man-eating Minotaur! His father’s city in mourning, having to send away 14 of its children! Stay tuned for my next blog post as I continue the mighty story of Theseus and the Minotaur!!
Book Corner: Check out Rick Riordan's new book, The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero. My students all say they love it!
*Interesting Fact* The people of Crete were known as the Minoans, after their traditional King Minos.
*Interesting Fact* The Minotaur comes from two different words: Mino- comes via Minos, and taur comes from the Latin taurus, bull, or Greek tauros, bull. Hence, the Minotaur was the Bull of Minos.
*Interesting Fact* The palace of King Minos at the capital of Crete, Knossos, was labyrinthine in form, with many winding halls and many,many rooms in which it was easy to get lost.
*Interesting Fact* The Minoans were into bull-leaping or bull-vaulting , in which the bull vaulter would valiantly run forth head on towards a bull, leap into the air, place his hands between his horns (hence becoming one with the bull, or a half-man, half-bull for a fraction of a second) and gracefully leap over the bull, just as the modern vault is performed today in gymnastics. And you thought that today's gymnastics were difficult!
*Interesting Fact* The word “Procrustean” refers to someone who deliberately and forcefully tries to make others conform to existing modes of thought, even in a violent fashion. What is the connection between the meaning of this word (a mythological eponym) and the robber Procrustes?
*Interesting Fact* The personal name of the Minotaur was Asterion or Asterius.
Interested in English vocabulary and its Latin and Greek roots? Take a look at
www.wordempire.com, a site which describes the most comprehensive dictionary available based on English derivatives that come from Latin and Greek root words.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ares: Greek God of War
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about Persephone, Hades, and Hephaestus, I will now move on to the brother of Hephaestus, Ares. Since Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera, so too would Ares be the sibling of Hephaestus (the only other child of Zeus and Hera was Hebe, the cupbearer of the gods, who married Heracles). The symbol of Ares was this: ♂. This symbol depicts the shield and spear of Ares (or Mars, the Roman name for Ares), which has become a symbol for man, just as the hand mirror of Aphrodite (♀) became the symbol for women.
Ares, despite the fact that he was the god of war, was quite cowardly. He would not think twice about switching sides during a battle if the other side were winning. He would also not think twice about killing a rival. In the story of Adonis and the boar, the beautiful goddess Aphrodite was madly in love with Adonis, probably the most handsome of all mortals. Before this, of course, up on Mt. Olympus, Aphrodite was in love with Ares, despite the fact that she was married to Hephaestus. We must keep in mind that we are dealing with gods, and gods do not behave like (most) mortals do. Everything seems pretty crazy, but that's only because we're not gods! Anyway, Aphrodite decided to get married to Adonis, and settle down with him on Earth, leaving Mt. Olympus itself. Adonis must have been one amazingly handsome guy. But then, of course, Aphrodite would do anything for love since she was, after all, the goddess in charge of that overwhelming emotion!
Aphrodite and Adonis were living simply a peaceful, beautiful life until the friends of Adonis began bugging Adonis to go hunting with them. Adonis had once loved to go hunting, but Aphrodite, once getting married to him, would no longer let Adonis go on the hunt since he might get injured, or perhaps die. In those days, hunters would go after boars, terribly large pigs with great tusks that could easily gore and kill a human. Hunters hunted only with spears in those days, so they had to get close to their prey (unlike today, where you can comfortably shoot prey from a tree, or from half a mile away). Boars, terribly strong (even my Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are enormously strong, and they are relatively small ... I had to move one once from my garden to its enclosure, and it almost killed me!), would often rip through hunters, eviscerating them on the spot. One can little wonder then why Aphrodite was nervous about Adonis going after such a ferocious creature.
But one day the friends of Adonis had had enough. They hadn't seen him for months, and they missed their hunting buddy, so one morning, very early before Aphrodite got up, they knocked on the door of Adonis and asked him if he'd like to go hunting with them, since there was a terribly ferocious boar that had just wandered into that neck of the woods, and the hunt for him would be fine and highly exciting. When Adonis hesitated, his friends began to taunt him; you can imagine them calling him "chicken" and "hen-pecked" and "boar bullied" and things that were probably less nice than that. Adonis, young and foolish, caved, hoping that Aphrodite wouldn't find out. Off he went on the hunt.
And did not return. Unfortunately, the boar had killed Adonis. Aphrodite found his dead body, abandoned by his friends (no one wanted to face her wrath). Aphrodite mourned and mourned, but eventually returned to Mt. Olympus and Ares (oh, and Hephaestus, when she wanted some new jewels).
Aphrodite never discovered that the boar had actually been Ares in disguise.
*Interesting Fact* The goddess Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Battle, was so much more powerful than Ares that a mere glance from her could cast aside the great spear of Ares when he hurled it at her.
*Interesting Fact* Another enormous boar, the Calydonian Boar, was the subject of another even more famous hunt, which I shall write about when I discuss the heroine Atalanta. Yet another boar, the Erymanthian Boar, was the 4th Labor of Heracles.
*Interesting Fact* Mars, the Roman name of Ares, is nicknamed the "Red Planet" because of its red sands. The planet was so named Mars because it resembled the color of blood, much of which is shed during war. Note that the names of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto -- yes, yes, I know that Pluto was demoted, but really ...) are named after the Roman names of Greek gods.
*Interesting Fact* The month March was also named after Mars. Martial campaigns would take a break during the winter months, but when spring began in March, armies would once again go off to war.
*Interesting Fact* The Latin name for our day "Tuesday" is Martis, or "Day of Mars." This crossed directly over into Spanish Martes, French Mardi, and Italian Martedi. All, apparently, good days for war. Our day Tuesday, in fact, is named after the Norse god of war, Tiw. So, "Tiw's Day," or "Tuesday."
*Mythology Book Corner* The story of the Erymanthian Boar is nicely told and depicted in a stunningly illustrated graphic novel entitled Hercules: The Twelve Labors: A Greek Myth. All the other 12 Labors of Heracles are described as well. For those of you who love to read myths and love to see pictures as well, this book is certainly for you!
Interested in English vocabulary and its Latin and Greek roots? Take a look at
www.wordempire.com, a site which describes the most comprehensive dictionary available based on English derivatives that come from Latin and Greek root words.
Ares, despite the fact that he was the god of war, was quite cowardly. He would not think twice about switching sides during a battle if the other side were winning. He would also not think twice about killing a rival. In the story of Adonis and the boar, the beautiful goddess Aphrodite was madly in love with Adonis, probably the most handsome of all mortals. Before this, of course, up on Mt. Olympus, Aphrodite was in love with Ares, despite the fact that she was married to Hephaestus. We must keep in mind that we are dealing with gods, and gods do not behave like (most) mortals do. Everything seems pretty crazy, but that's only because we're not gods! Anyway, Aphrodite decided to get married to Adonis, and settle down with him on Earth, leaving Mt. Olympus itself. Adonis must have been one amazingly handsome guy. But then, of course, Aphrodite would do anything for love since she was, after all, the goddess in charge of that overwhelming emotion!
Aphrodite and Adonis were living simply a peaceful, beautiful life until the friends of Adonis began bugging Adonis to go hunting with them. Adonis had once loved to go hunting, but Aphrodite, once getting married to him, would no longer let Adonis go on the hunt since he might get injured, or perhaps die. In those days, hunters would go after boars, terribly large pigs with great tusks that could easily gore and kill a human. Hunters hunted only with spears in those days, so they had to get close to their prey (unlike today, where you can comfortably shoot prey from a tree, or from half a mile away). Boars, terribly strong (even my Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are enormously strong, and they are relatively small ... I had to move one once from my garden to its enclosure, and it almost killed me!), would often rip through hunters, eviscerating them on the spot. One can little wonder then why Aphrodite was nervous about Adonis going after such a ferocious creature.
But one day the friends of Adonis had had enough. They hadn't seen him for months, and they missed their hunting buddy, so one morning, very early before Aphrodite got up, they knocked on the door of Adonis and asked him if he'd like to go hunting with them, since there was a terribly ferocious boar that had just wandered into that neck of the woods, and the hunt for him would be fine and highly exciting. When Adonis hesitated, his friends began to taunt him; you can imagine them calling him "chicken" and "hen-pecked" and "boar bullied" and things that were probably less nice than that. Adonis, young and foolish, caved, hoping that Aphrodite wouldn't find out. Off he went on the hunt.
And did not return. Unfortunately, the boar had killed Adonis. Aphrodite found his dead body, abandoned by his friends (no one wanted to face her wrath). Aphrodite mourned and mourned, but eventually returned to Mt. Olympus and Ares (oh, and Hephaestus, when she wanted some new jewels).
Aphrodite never discovered that the boar had actually been Ares in disguise.
*Interesting Fact* The goddess Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Battle, was so much more powerful than Ares that a mere glance from her could cast aside the great spear of Ares when he hurled it at her.
*Interesting Fact* Another enormous boar, the Calydonian Boar, was the subject of another even more famous hunt, which I shall write about when I discuss the heroine Atalanta. Yet another boar, the Erymanthian Boar, was the 4th Labor of Heracles.
*Interesting Fact* Mars, the Roman name of Ares, is nicknamed the "Red Planet" because of its red sands. The planet was so named Mars because it resembled the color of blood, much of which is shed during war. Note that the names of the planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto -- yes, yes, I know that Pluto was demoted, but really ...) are named after the Roman names of Greek gods.
*Interesting Fact* The month March was also named after Mars. Martial campaigns would take a break during the winter months, but when spring began in March, armies would once again go off to war.
*Interesting Fact* The Latin name for our day "Tuesday" is Martis, or "Day of Mars." This crossed directly over into Spanish Martes, French Mardi, and Italian Martedi. All, apparently, good days for war. Our day Tuesday, in fact, is named after the Norse god of war, Tiw. So, "Tiw's Day," or "Tuesday."
*Mythology Book Corner* The story of the Erymanthian Boar is nicely told and depicted in a stunningly illustrated graphic novel entitled Hercules: The Twelve Labors: A Greek Myth. All the other 12 Labors of Heracles are described as well. For those of you who love to read myths and love to see pictures as well, this book is certainly for you!
Interested in English vocabulary and its Latin and Greek roots? Take a look at
www.wordempire.com, a site which describes the most comprehensive dictionary available based on English derivatives that come from Latin and Greek root words.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hephaestus, Olympian Blacksmith
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about Aphrodite, Persephone, and Hades, I shall now move on to one of the more troubled gods, Hephaestus (Vulcan in Roman, also known as Mulciber). Hephaestus was one of only three children of Zeus and Hera (the other two being Ares and Hebe), and his troubles began at birth. You might ask immediately why it would be such a bad thing to be born an immortal god (ah! an oxymoron! all gods are immortal! whoops! except for Pan, the god of the satyrs, who was reported to have died in the 1500s ... but let's move on), but sadly enough for Hephaestus, it was (well, kind of). When Hera gave birth to him, he was weak with a pitiful appearance, so his mother, highly displeased, simply tossed him off of Mt. Olympus! That would make a great modern-day American short story! Hera, fortunately, had quite the arm, so he did not fall upon the hard land, but fell into the sea, quite the distance from Mt. Olympus.
Having landed, thankfully unscathed, into the sea, he was found by the goddess Thetis. One of the innate talents of Hephaestus was to make beautiful jewelry, and so he, in gratitude, began to bedeck Thetis with gorgeous necklaces and splendid, shining diamond rings. This he did for a full nine years. One day, however, Hera discovered that Thetis had better jewelry to wear than she did, in fact, Thetis had better jewelry than any of the Olympians (more on this fact later), so Hera asked Thetis where she had gotten it. Finally she wrested the fact that her very son Hephaestus was making those pretty, priceless baubles for her, and the trick was up. Soon enough, Hephaestus was reentered into the good graces of his mother, and was "allowed" to return to Mt. Olympus so he could make things now, in "gratitude," for his mother (one might think for a moment about what Hephaestus thought about all of that!).
Things went "swimmingly" for a while up on Mt. Olympus until one day Hephaestus and his father Zeus got into a bit of a tiff, and Zeus promptly threw him off the other side of Mt. Olympus! This time Hephaestus didn't fare so well ... he landed, splat!, upon the hard earth, and broke every bone in his body. His legs were especially affected by the fall, as was his back--he would be kyphotic, or hunch-backed, ever after, and he would have trouble walking. One might imagine the appearance of Quasimodo from Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame when one thinks of Hephaestus. Later on, he was once again "pardoned," and allowed to return, albeit in much rougher shape than the first time he returned!
Because Hephaestus was now so ugly and deformed, limping along and bent over because of his horribly disfigured back, he decided to dwell within the depths of Mt. Olympus, and there established a forge where he made made items with his great skill as a blacksmith. He made himself golden leg supports to help him walk. He made golden mechanical women that came to life to help him in his smithy. He also fashioned 20 three-legged tables with golden wheels that would move by themselves to transport items around his stygian, or gloomy, smithy. The Cyclopes, or one-eyed giants, also helped out in his forge. With all this assistance, he was able to forge some of the greatest weapons of the gods and heroes, including the winged shoes and helmet of Hermes, the shield of Achilles, the aegis (the shield of Athena that bore the head of Medusa), the golden chariot of Helios, and the bow and arrows of Eros, the god of love (Roman Cupid), to name a few.
Hephaestus, despite the fact that he was the ugliest of the Olympians, did manage to marry Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses. Can you guess why? Consider the fact that Aphrodite loved to gaze at herself in her hand mirror ... ah, now you have it. The gorgeous, shining, beauty-enhancing jewelry! Yep, that's right, this was not a marriage for love (marriages for love were unknown for the most part in the ancient world; that concept really did not have its origin until the troubadours in the Middle Ages). Aphrodite's interest in Hephaestus was purely in the sense of being a trophy wife ... he made her beautiful, beautiful items, which she accepted with evident and rapacious glee. In fact, he made her the cestus, a girdle that made her simply even more irresistible to men. Why he did that we'll probably never know! He probably wasn't the jealous type, I guess.
Hephaestus, besides being the god of blacksmiths, was also the god of fire, volcanoes, sculptors, metal, metallurgy, and technology. From the depths of Olympus to Dell. Isn't life interesting?
Mythology Book Corner: This book corner suggests great mythology reads. Probably one of the best books on Greek mythology ever written was by Edith Hamilton, a book simply called Mythology. It's been around forever ... you know that because I read it as a kid. It's fabulous!
*Interesting Fact* A sailor reported that Pan had indeed died. No one knows the name of that sailor. But he was really sure about that.
*Interesting Fact* The word "volcano" and "vulcanize" come from the Roman name for Hephaestus, Vulcan.
*Interesting Fact* The thunderbolts of Zeus were fashioned by the Cyclopes, not Hephaestus.
Having landed, thankfully unscathed, into the sea, he was found by the goddess Thetis. One of the innate talents of Hephaestus was to make beautiful jewelry, and so he, in gratitude, began to bedeck Thetis with gorgeous necklaces and splendid, shining diamond rings. This he did for a full nine years. One day, however, Hera discovered that Thetis had better jewelry to wear than she did, in fact, Thetis had better jewelry than any of the Olympians (more on this fact later), so Hera asked Thetis where she had gotten it. Finally she wrested the fact that her very son Hephaestus was making those pretty, priceless baubles for her, and the trick was up. Soon enough, Hephaestus was reentered into the good graces of his mother, and was "allowed" to return to Mt. Olympus so he could make things now, in "gratitude," for his mother (one might think for a moment about what Hephaestus thought about all of that!).
Things went "swimmingly" for a while up on Mt. Olympus until one day Hephaestus and his father Zeus got into a bit of a tiff, and Zeus promptly threw him off the other side of Mt. Olympus! This time Hephaestus didn't fare so well ... he landed, splat!, upon the hard earth, and broke every bone in his body. His legs were especially affected by the fall, as was his back--he would be kyphotic, or hunch-backed, ever after, and he would have trouble walking. One might imagine the appearance of Quasimodo from Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame when one thinks of Hephaestus. Later on, he was once again "pardoned," and allowed to return, albeit in much rougher shape than the first time he returned!
Because Hephaestus was now so ugly and deformed, limping along and bent over because of his horribly disfigured back, he decided to dwell within the depths of Mt. Olympus, and there established a forge where he made made items with his great skill as a blacksmith. He made himself golden leg supports to help him walk. He made golden mechanical women that came to life to help him in his smithy. He also fashioned 20 three-legged tables with golden wheels that would move by themselves to transport items around his stygian, or gloomy, smithy. The Cyclopes, or one-eyed giants, also helped out in his forge. With all this assistance, he was able to forge some of the greatest weapons of the gods and heroes, including the winged shoes and helmet of Hermes, the shield of Achilles, the aegis (the shield of Athena that bore the head of Medusa), the golden chariot of Helios, and the bow and arrows of Eros, the god of love (Roman Cupid), to name a few.
Hephaestus, despite the fact that he was the ugliest of the Olympians, did manage to marry Aphrodite, the most beautiful of the goddesses. Can you guess why? Consider the fact that Aphrodite loved to gaze at herself in her hand mirror ... ah, now you have it. The gorgeous, shining, beauty-enhancing jewelry! Yep, that's right, this was not a marriage for love (marriages for love were unknown for the most part in the ancient world; that concept really did not have its origin until the troubadours in the Middle Ages). Aphrodite's interest in Hephaestus was purely in the sense of being a trophy wife ... he made her beautiful, beautiful items, which she accepted with evident and rapacious glee. In fact, he made her the cestus, a girdle that made her simply even more irresistible to men. Why he did that we'll probably never know! He probably wasn't the jealous type, I guess.
Hephaestus, besides being the god of blacksmiths, was also the god of fire, volcanoes, sculptors, metal, metallurgy, and technology. From the depths of Olympus to Dell. Isn't life interesting?
Mythology Book Corner: This book corner suggests great mythology reads. Probably one of the best books on Greek mythology ever written was by Edith Hamilton, a book simply called Mythology. It's been around forever ... you know that because I read it as a kid. It's fabulous!
*Interesting Fact* A sailor reported that Pan had indeed died. No one knows the name of that sailor. But he was really sure about that.
*Interesting Fact* The word "volcano" and "vulcanize" come from the Roman name for Hephaestus, Vulcan.
*Interesting Fact* The thunderbolts of Zeus were fashioned by the Cyclopes, not Hephaestus.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Hades, King of the Underworld
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about Aphrodite and Persephone, I promised that I would discuss Hades (Roman name Pluto) in this post. Since it certainly seems to be as hot as Hades today, I have decided to do just that. Hades, as you will no doubt recall, was the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia, hence the son of Cronus and Rhea. After the Titanomachy had concluded in which the gods defeated the Titans, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades all picked straws to see who would rule what part of the world. Hades, to his great detriment, picked the short straw, hence was sent down deep into the Underworld where he brooded; he never set foot upon Mount Olympus. Hades not only refers to the god, but also the Kingdom of Hades, that is, the Greek Underworld. I guess it would be really strange to refer to the Underworld as "Zeus" or "Poseidon": sizzling as Zeus or piping hot as Poseidon just sounds peculiar--or parching as Poseidon? Maybe it was linguistic destiny decreed by the Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos) that Hades would rule the dark realm, ousting its resident ruler, Hecate, the original ruler of the Underworld, a being with the bodies of a mare, lion, and dog, who was between 90 and 105 feet tall. You'd have to be daunting and formidable once you find out what the Underworld was like.
Despite all silly assurances by animated movies out there, Hades was not evil. He just couldn't be particularly cheery when he was in the dark all day. Imagine a land that was only lit by asphodel, or dimly glowing flowers. Imagine a land that had five rather ominous rivers: the Styx, or River of the Unbreakable Oath or Hate; the Phlegethon (or Pyriphlegethon), the River of Fire (whoa!); the Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness; the Acheron, or River of Woe or Pain (starting to get the picture here?); and the Cocytus, the River of Lamentation. Hard to be cheery if you're the guy who is in charge of these wonderful liquid topographical features. I mean we're not talking the Mississippi river where peaceful steamboats sail about, or the beautiful Danube flowing gracefully throughout Europe towards enticing ports of call!
Oh, and, did I mention the denizens of the Underworld? The Greeks believed that once you died, you were ferried across the river Acheron by Charon, the ferryman of the dead (but only if you were buried with the proper obol, or coin, under your tongue, otherwise you'd be forced to wander about on the wrong side of the Underworld for eternity). Then you would pass Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of the Underworld, who instead of fur on his back had the flickering tongues of snakes, and instead of normal barks, had thunderclaps issuing from all three of his cavernous maws. After Cerberus certified that you were indeed dead, you had to undergo the scrutiny of Minos and Rhadamanthus, the terrible judges of the Underworld, who would send you to one of three places: the Elysian Fields (Elysium), Tartarus, or Limbo (more in a moment on those). Oh, and of course the Erinyes (Roman Furies) had their dwelling in Hades; Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megara would certainly add a bit of atmosphere as they winged about looking for victims to slice and dice.
So, if you were a Greek and died, and presumably underwent the proper burial (coin under tongue as fee for Charon and all), what did you have to look forward to?
The Elysian Fields were only open to heroes, so practically no one could go there. It was a perfect place in which to spend the rest of eternity. Boring, maybe, but probably better than the other two options listed below. That, of course, leaves you out, unless of course you've recently killed a Minotaur, Gorgon, Chimera, Hydra, or some such fearsome beastie.
Tartarus was the land of eternal torment; it was guarded by a pitch black hydra with fifty heads that breathed out black acidic fire. Really, really bad dudes went there, or people who made the gods particularly mad (especially Zeus, who had an amazingly short temper). Some of the famous inhabitants of Tartarus included Ixion, Sisyphus, Tantalus, and the Titan Tityus. If you're one of those guys, don't tell anybody you read this blog.
Limbo is where most of the dead would go, and where you would, with all probability, end up. When judged thus, you were compelled to drink from the river Lethe and would forget everything about what and who you were in your previous life. You would then turn into a mane, or shade of the Underworld, and simply wander about aimlessly for the rest of eternity; you couldn't even talk to any of your dead friends because you both wouldn't recognize each other and you would have forgotten how to talk. No cell phone companies or Facebook or Google chat in the Underworld! However, Plato does mention in the Republic that reincarnation was possible, a certainly preferable condition to complete and under mindlessness (perhaps you know some people already who are half-mane?).
It is no wonder then that Hades, ruling in his deep, dark land in his gloomy palace wanted a companion, and so abducted Persephone. After all, imagine one moment in time, that silly drawing of a short straw (I mean, shouldn't there have been at least a long, involved contest, or a pretty intense interviewing process) that set the life of Hades forever. How unfair is that? Life's unfair, but in the case of Hades, death was unfair too. Let's have some Pluto pity.
**Interesting Fact** Despite the fact that Pluto's planethood officially came to an end in 2006 after 76 glorious years (I could make several horrible puns on Pluto: R.I.P. Pluto, which would be particularly delicious for a god of the dead who can't die, but I won't at this point), I, for one, still recognize it as such. Hasn't Pluto (Hades) already suffered enough without a pointless demotion to a mere icy large rock in space?
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Despite all silly assurances by animated movies out there, Hades was not evil. He just couldn't be particularly cheery when he was in the dark all day. Imagine a land that was only lit by asphodel, or dimly glowing flowers. Imagine a land that had five rather ominous rivers: the Styx, or River of the Unbreakable Oath or Hate; the Phlegethon (or Pyriphlegethon), the River of Fire (whoa!); the Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness; the Acheron, or River of Woe or Pain (starting to get the picture here?); and the Cocytus, the River of Lamentation. Hard to be cheery if you're the guy who is in charge of these wonderful liquid topographical features. I mean we're not talking the Mississippi river where peaceful steamboats sail about, or the beautiful Danube flowing gracefully throughout Europe towards enticing ports of call!
Oh, and, did I mention the denizens of the Underworld? The Greeks believed that once you died, you were ferried across the river Acheron by Charon, the ferryman of the dead (but only if you were buried with the proper obol, or coin, under your tongue, otherwise you'd be forced to wander about on the wrong side of the Underworld for eternity). Then you would pass Cerberus, the three-headed guardian of the Underworld, who instead of fur on his back had the flickering tongues of snakes, and instead of normal barks, had thunderclaps issuing from all three of his cavernous maws. After Cerberus certified that you were indeed dead, you had to undergo the scrutiny of Minos and Rhadamanthus, the terrible judges of the Underworld, who would send you to one of three places: the Elysian Fields (Elysium), Tartarus, or Limbo (more in a moment on those). Oh, and of course the Erinyes (Roman Furies) had their dwelling in Hades; Alecto, Tisiphone, and Megara would certainly add a bit of atmosphere as they winged about looking for victims to slice and dice.
So, if you were a Greek and died, and presumably underwent the proper burial (coin under tongue as fee for Charon and all), what did you have to look forward to?
The Elysian Fields were only open to heroes, so practically no one could go there. It was a perfect place in which to spend the rest of eternity. Boring, maybe, but probably better than the other two options listed below. That, of course, leaves you out, unless of course you've recently killed a Minotaur, Gorgon, Chimera, Hydra, or some such fearsome beastie.
Tartarus was the land of eternal torment; it was guarded by a pitch black hydra with fifty heads that breathed out black acidic fire. Really, really bad dudes went there, or people who made the gods particularly mad (especially Zeus, who had an amazingly short temper). Some of the famous inhabitants of Tartarus included Ixion, Sisyphus, Tantalus, and the Titan Tityus. If you're one of those guys, don't tell anybody you read this blog.
Limbo is where most of the dead would go, and where you would, with all probability, end up. When judged thus, you were compelled to drink from the river Lethe and would forget everything about what and who you were in your previous life. You would then turn into a mane, or shade of the Underworld, and simply wander about aimlessly for the rest of eternity; you couldn't even talk to any of your dead friends because you both wouldn't recognize each other and you would have forgotten how to talk. No cell phone companies or Facebook or Google chat in the Underworld! However, Plato does mention in the Republic that reincarnation was possible, a certainly preferable condition to complete and under mindlessness (perhaps you know some people already who are half-mane?).
It is no wonder then that Hades, ruling in his deep, dark land in his gloomy palace wanted a companion, and so abducted Persephone. After all, imagine one moment in time, that silly drawing of a short straw (I mean, shouldn't there have been at least a long, involved contest, or a pretty intense interviewing process) that set the life of Hades forever. How unfair is that? Life's unfair, but in the case of Hades, death was unfair too. Let's have some Pluto pity.
**Interesting Fact** Despite the fact that Pluto's planethood officially came to an end in 2006 after 76 glorious years (I could make several horrible puns on Pluto: R.I.P. Pluto, which would be particularly delicious for a god of the dead who can't die, but I won't at this point), I, for one, still recognize it as such. Hasn't Pluto (Hades) already suffered enough without a pointless demotion to a mere icy large rock in space?
**Mythology Book Corner** This recommendation include Heroes, God, and Monsters of the Greek Myths, a great introduction to Greek mythology. Receives rave reviews at Amazon as a quick but captivating and enthralling read.
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Persephone--Goddess of Spring
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about Aphrodite, I promised that I would discuss Hades in this post. However, school has just gotten out, summer is fully in the air, and I have realized that I have given short shrift to the season of spring; after all, it is not yet the season summer. I also rationalized that since Persephone is intimately acquainted with Hades I would discuss Persephone first before moving on to the Lord of the Underworld.
Maybe.
Persephone, or Roman Proserpina, was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. One day the young woman Persephone was out picking poppies with her handmaidens, enjoying a beautiful spring day, when all of a sudden a swift chariot drawn by black dragons with flaming eyes and leathern wings erupted from the earth. A terrifying god wearing an iron crown swooped upon her, caught her up before she could flee. She was swiftly taken down to the realm of Hades, uttering terrifying cries as her handmaidens looked on with horror.
Demeter, having soon noticed that her daughter did not return from her daily gambol in the poppy-strewn meadows, frantically searched for her, but could not locate her. To this period in history, Demeter, enjoying always the company of her beloved daughter, always attended to the Earth; recall that Demeter is the Goddess of the Earth, or she who gave it the power to grow and multiply. Demeter, for the first time in the history of humankind upon the Earth, did not attend to her duties. Crops began to fail; people began to go hungry. Humans experienced cold weather for the first time. Since preservation of food was never considered a necessity for humans since it was always summer, everyone was in big trouble. Like a blizzard coming to Hawaii.
Demeter went straight to Zeus, and demanded his aid; but he wasn't particularly helpful. Demeter decided to engage the help of Hecate, the original ruler of the Underworld, a being with the bodies of a mare, lion, and dog, who was between 90 and 105 feet tall. The formidable and horrifying Hecate forced Helios, or the god who drove the chariot of the sun, to tell her what happened to Persephone (a great god to ask since he saw absolutely everything that went on in his daily trips across the sky; he did have the best seat, as it were, in the Big House). Helios told Hecate, who in turn informed Demeter, that it was the diabolical Hades who had kidnapped Persephone.
Straightway Demeter and Zeus sped down to the Underworld to see what their brother Hades had done. Persephone's parents found her weeping in dejection on a great throne set in black marble, right next to the glowering Hades himself; imagine going from sunshine and poppies to gloom and asphodel (the ghostly phosphorescent flowers that grew in the Underworld). Zeus demanded that Hades return Persephone at once; Hades, however, had already gotten a taste of what it was not to be so lonely in the dark, so he was not about to let her go. He also mentioned that Persephone had eaten of some fruit of the Underworld, and so she could not leave. Zeus countered that Persephone had eaten but six seeds of a pomegranate, and so would only have to stay in the Underworld for six months of the year. Hades acquiesced, and all was well. At least for six months of the year!
And so the cycle of the seasons was explained. Persephone would remain in the Underworld for fall and winter; during this time the Earth would die, as Demeter mourned for the disappearance and loss of her daughter. However, as soon as the six months had elapsed, Persephone would once again return, exert her dominance as goddess of Spring, her mother would rejoice, and once again the Earth would flourish for the spring and summer months.
Yes, and now, indubitably, my next post will discuss the god Hades. With a stint on the Underworld and all its ghastliness to follow.
Maybe!
**Interesting Fact** The Eleusinian Mysteries were major festivals in ancient Greece that honored both Demeter and Persephone, and which lasted for over two millennia. Most of the rituals and ceremonies were kept secret, although there was a lot of it that had to do with pigs.
**Mythology Book Corner** One of my all-time favorite youngish children's books on mythology is the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. This book, meant for 3rd-6th grade (at the most), is richly illustrated and tells many of the key tales of Greek mythology, and also has a very nice drawing of Olympian/Titanic genealogy on the frontispiece to the book. Note that the hardcover edition is not much more expensive than the paperback! There is also a version for the Norse myths (Thor, Odin, Loki, etc.). Highly entertaining.
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Maybe.
Persephone, or Roman Proserpina, was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. One day the young woman Persephone was out picking poppies with her handmaidens, enjoying a beautiful spring day, when all of a sudden a swift chariot drawn by black dragons with flaming eyes and leathern wings erupted from the earth. A terrifying god wearing an iron crown swooped upon her, caught her up before she could flee. She was swiftly taken down to the realm of Hades, uttering terrifying cries as her handmaidens looked on with horror.
Demeter, having soon noticed that her daughter did not return from her daily gambol in the poppy-strewn meadows, frantically searched for her, but could not locate her. To this period in history, Demeter, enjoying always the company of her beloved daughter, always attended to the Earth; recall that Demeter is the Goddess of the Earth, or she who gave it the power to grow and multiply. Demeter, for the first time in the history of humankind upon the Earth, did not attend to her duties. Crops began to fail; people began to go hungry. Humans experienced cold weather for the first time. Since preservation of food was never considered a necessity for humans since it was always summer, everyone was in big trouble. Like a blizzard coming to Hawaii.
Demeter went straight to Zeus, and demanded his aid; but he wasn't particularly helpful. Demeter decided to engage the help of Hecate, the original ruler of the Underworld, a being with the bodies of a mare, lion, and dog, who was between 90 and 105 feet tall. The formidable and horrifying Hecate forced Helios, or the god who drove the chariot of the sun, to tell her what happened to Persephone (a great god to ask since he saw absolutely everything that went on in his daily trips across the sky; he did have the best seat, as it were, in the Big House). Helios told Hecate, who in turn informed Demeter, that it was the diabolical Hades who had kidnapped Persephone.
Straightway Demeter and Zeus sped down to the Underworld to see what their brother Hades had done. Persephone's parents found her weeping in dejection on a great throne set in black marble, right next to the glowering Hades himself; imagine going from sunshine and poppies to gloom and asphodel (the ghostly phosphorescent flowers that grew in the Underworld). Zeus demanded that Hades return Persephone at once; Hades, however, had already gotten a taste of what it was not to be so lonely in the dark, so he was not about to let her go. He also mentioned that Persephone had eaten of some fruit of the Underworld, and so she could not leave. Zeus countered that Persephone had eaten but six seeds of a pomegranate, and so would only have to stay in the Underworld for six months of the year. Hades acquiesced, and all was well. At least for six months of the year!
And so the cycle of the seasons was explained. Persephone would remain in the Underworld for fall and winter; during this time the Earth would die, as Demeter mourned for the disappearance and loss of her daughter. However, as soon as the six months had elapsed, Persephone would once again return, exert her dominance as goddess of Spring, her mother would rejoice, and once again the Earth would flourish for the spring and summer months.
Yes, and now, indubitably, my next post will discuss the god Hades. With a stint on the Underworld and all its ghastliness to follow.
Maybe!
**Interesting Fact** The Eleusinian Mysteries were major festivals in ancient Greece that honored both Demeter and Persephone, and which lasted for over two millennia. Most of the rituals and ceremonies were kept secret, although there was a lot of it that had to do with pigs.
**Mythology Book Corner** One of my all-time favorite youngish children's books on mythology is the D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. This book, meant for 3rd-6th grade (at the most), is richly illustrated and tells many of the key tales of Greek mythology, and also has a very nice drawing of Olympian/Titanic genealogy on the frontispiece to the book. Note that the hardcover edition is not much more expensive than the paperback! There is also a version for the Norse myths (Thor, Odin, Loki, etc.). Highly entertaining.
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Aphrodite--Goddess of Love and Beauty
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about the Olympians Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis, Hestia, and Apollo, with a serpentine digression upon Medusa, I promised that I would discuss Hades in this post. However, since this is supposed to be a gloomy, saturnine, and rather cloudy week, I thought that I would brighten and certainly spice things up a bit with the luminous goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. Aphrodite was not one of the original six Olympians, but rather predated them; most sources consider her to be the great aunt of Zeus (although some consider her to be the child of Zeus and Thalassa, the sea). Aphrodite was born, fully grown (just like Athena), from the foam of the sea (her name comes from the Greek word aphros: "sea foam"). Her father was Ouranos, the original god of the sky; she had no mother, unless one considers it to be the sea from which she arose. A very famous picture by Botticelli entitled the "Birth of Venus" pictures Venus (the Roman name of Aphrodite) riding upon the shell of a scallop.
Aphrodite was said to possess a magical girdle (the cestus) that made her irresistible to all men; they could not help but fall in love with her. She married the ugliest of the gods, Hephaestus; a strange pairing, one might think, but Aphrodite was extremely vain (she was always looking in a hand mirror, which was one of her symbols, and today is a symbol for women: ♀) and Hephaestus did make the very best of jewelry, being blacksmith of the gods. His sparkling and scintillating gold and diamond necklaces only enhanced her already incredible beauty, and fed her vanity. Other primary symbols of Aphrodite included the rose and the dove. The most beautiful celestial object in the sky is the planet Venus, which shines the most brightly, like a clear diamond of brilliant hue.
Although Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus, she really just married him for his money; she was actually passionately in love with Ares, the god of war (one might think that a marriage between the two of them would certainly test the adage that "all is fair in love and war!"). Perhaps they were attracted as opposites attract: love and war don't really mix, but they do tend to make things exciting. Perhaps they were both attracted because of their favorite color, red; Mars, the red planet, is the Roman name for Ares; red roses, again, were the symbol of Aphrodite. I like to think of them as just swept away by irrational forces; true love rarely makes any sense whatsoever. After all, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, and yet here we all are despite it all, and on a completely different planet to boot (the Roman name for which, by the way, is Terra).
Aphrodite's primary son was the god Eros, the god of love (Roman name Cupid). Eros had a powerful set of arrows that would make people fall in love at will. He would shoot them through their eye with his light of love arrows, and they would fall madly and passionately in love with the next person or creature that came across their vision --highly problematic in some cases! The father of Eros is contested: it was either Zeus, Ares, or Hermes. Other more well known children included Aeneas, the hero of Vergil's Aeneid, whose descendant, Romulus, eventually founded Rome; and the three Graces: Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Good Cheer).
Just as love does today, Aphrodite played a large part in many tales, full versions of which will be the subject of future posts. Nevertheless, here are short takes from a few:
**The Judgment of Paris: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite quarreled over an irresistible golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides that was cleverly marked (by Eris, the goddess of Discord) as "For the Fairest." Aphrodite offered Paris, in return for the apple, the most beautiful woman in the world to have as his wife. Hera said that Paris could be lord of all Asia and the richest man alive, whereas Athena offered him the power to not only win all battles, but also be both the handsomest and wisest man. Paris was young and romantic, and so chose Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, who was unfortunately already married to Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Thus began the Trojan War.
**Aphrodite at one point left Mt. Olympus to be with Adonis, an extremely handsome youth. Ares became so inflamed with jealousy that he turned himself into a wild boar and killed the handsome youth, just so Aphrodite would return to Mt. Olympus. Another one of those very salutary aspects of that overwhelming force called love.
**In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Venus is seen as a rather vindictive goddess since people were paying more attention to Psyche than to her (heaven forfend!). This jealousy manifests itself in quite a few nasty ways ... but more of this in a future post. As with Artemis, if one messed with Aphrodite, there was sure to be trouble. Big trouble. One is also reminded of Athena being challenged by Arachne to a weaving contest ... no one wins versus the gods ... even if one wins.
**In the story of Atalanta, both Atalanta and Hippomenes (or Melanion) forget to thank Aphrodite for providing the golden apples which allowed the two to marry (Atalanta lost a footrace because she was tempted and slowed down by those apples). Aphrodite turns to one of her best friends, Cybele (a kind of female Dionysus), who changes them into lions, forcing them to draw her chariot for the rest of their lives.
**Finally, in a more favorable story, Aphrodite transformed the statue Galatea, which Pygmalion had made (he could find no suitable women to marry, so he made one instead), into a living, breathing woman, and presumably they lived happily ever after. However, the story ends at the point of their marriage. Shakespeare's point entirely. But that doesn't make it real, of course ... it's literature.
Please stay tuned for my next post, where I shall this time finish with the last of the 6 major Olympian gods, Hades. I will probably speak a bit about the Underworld in a subsequent post. It will be, after all, summer vacation at that point, full of sun and fun ... far away from the depths of Tartarus.
*Interesting Fact: The Greek name "Aphrodite" may be the origin of the month "April" (or it could come from a Latin word meaning "second"). April used to be the second month of the year, but it is also a month of the season spring, when love plays such a large part in baby animals being born. Do bees fall in love with flowers?*
*Interesting Fact: Strangely enough, the siblings of Aphrodite included, of all creatures, the Erinyes (Furies): Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megara! This might explain some of the more vengeful actions of Aphrodite ... *
*Interesting Fact: See a picture of Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus where Aphrodite first stepped on land.*
**Mythology Book Corner** A very promising new compendium of all things Greekly mythological (I know that's a weird phrase but it sounds right) is Oh My Gods!: A Look-it-Up Guide to the Gods of Mythology. This would probably be more digestible for the youngish/teen reader than Pierre Grimal or Robert Graves. Certainly give it a looksee if you love Greek myths!
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Aphrodite was said to possess a magical girdle (the cestus) that made her irresistible to all men; they could not help but fall in love with her. She married the ugliest of the gods, Hephaestus; a strange pairing, one might think, but Aphrodite was extremely vain (she was always looking in a hand mirror, which was one of her symbols, and today is a symbol for women: ♀) and Hephaestus did make the very best of jewelry, being blacksmith of the gods. His sparkling and scintillating gold and diamond necklaces only enhanced her already incredible beauty, and fed her vanity. Other primary symbols of Aphrodite included the rose and the dove. The most beautiful celestial object in the sky is the planet Venus, which shines the most brightly, like a clear diamond of brilliant hue.
Although Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaestus, she really just married him for his money; she was actually passionately in love with Ares, the god of war (one might think that a marriage between the two of them would certainly test the adage that "all is fair in love and war!"). Perhaps they were attracted as opposites attract: love and war don't really mix, but they do tend to make things exciting. Perhaps they were both attracted because of their favorite color, red; Mars, the red planet, is the Roman name for Ares; red roses, again, were the symbol of Aphrodite. I like to think of them as just swept away by irrational forces; true love rarely makes any sense whatsoever. After all, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, and yet here we all are despite it all, and on a completely different planet to boot (the Roman name for which, by the way, is Terra).
Aphrodite's primary son was the god Eros, the god of love (Roman name Cupid). Eros had a powerful set of arrows that would make people fall in love at will. He would shoot them through their eye with his light of love arrows, and they would fall madly and passionately in love with the next person or creature that came across their vision --highly problematic in some cases! The father of Eros is contested: it was either Zeus, Ares, or Hermes. Other more well known children included Aeneas, the hero of Vergil's Aeneid, whose descendant, Romulus, eventually founded Rome; and the three Graces: Aglaia (Beauty), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Good Cheer).
Just as love does today, Aphrodite played a large part in many tales, full versions of which will be the subject of future posts. Nevertheless, here are short takes from a few:
**The Judgment of Paris: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite quarreled over an irresistible golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides that was cleverly marked (by Eris, the goddess of Discord) as "For the Fairest." Aphrodite offered Paris, in return for the apple, the most beautiful woman in the world to have as his wife. Hera said that Paris could be lord of all Asia and the richest man alive, whereas Athena offered him the power to not only win all battles, but also be both the handsomest and wisest man. Paris was young and romantic, and so chose Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, who was unfortunately already married to Menelaus, the King of Sparta. Thus began the Trojan War.
**Aphrodite at one point left Mt. Olympus to be with Adonis, an extremely handsome youth. Ares became so inflamed with jealousy that he turned himself into a wild boar and killed the handsome youth, just so Aphrodite would return to Mt. Olympus. Another one of those very salutary aspects of that overwhelming force called love.
**In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Venus is seen as a rather vindictive goddess since people were paying more attention to Psyche than to her (heaven forfend!). This jealousy manifests itself in quite a few nasty ways ... but more of this in a future post. As with Artemis, if one messed with Aphrodite, there was sure to be trouble. Big trouble. One is also reminded of Athena being challenged by Arachne to a weaving contest ... no one wins versus the gods ... even if one wins.
**In the story of Atalanta, both Atalanta and Hippomenes (or Melanion) forget to thank Aphrodite for providing the golden apples which allowed the two to marry (Atalanta lost a footrace because she was tempted and slowed down by those apples). Aphrodite turns to one of her best friends, Cybele (a kind of female Dionysus), who changes them into lions, forcing them to draw her chariot for the rest of their lives.
**Finally, in a more favorable story, Aphrodite transformed the statue Galatea, which Pygmalion had made (he could find no suitable women to marry, so he made one instead), into a living, breathing woman, and presumably they lived happily ever after. However, the story ends at the point of their marriage. Shakespeare's point entirely. But that doesn't make it real, of course ... it's literature.
Please stay tuned for my next post, where I shall this time finish with the last of the 6 major Olympian gods, Hades. I will probably speak a bit about the Underworld in a subsequent post. It will be, after all, summer vacation at that point, full of sun and fun ... far away from the depths of Tartarus.
*Interesting Fact: The Greek name "Aphrodite" may be the origin of the month "April" (or it could come from a Latin word meaning "second"). April used to be the second month of the year, but it is also a month of the season spring, when love plays such a large part in baby animals being born. Do bees fall in love with flowers?*
*Interesting Fact: Strangely enough, the siblings of Aphrodite included, of all creatures, the Erinyes (Furies): Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megara! This might explain some of the more vengeful actions of Aphrodite ... *
*Interesting Fact: See a picture of Aphrodite's Rock in Cyprus where Aphrodite first stepped on land.*
**Mythology Book Corner** A very promising new compendium of all things Greekly mythological (I know that's a weird phrase but it sounds right) is Oh My Gods!: A Look-it-Up Guide to the Gods of Mythology. This would probably be more digestible for the youngish/teen reader than Pierre Grimal or Robert Graves. Certainly give it a looksee if you love Greek myths!
Interested in improving your vocabulary? Find out how the Greek and Latin languages gave rise to most of the English language at www.wordempire.com.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Hestia--Goddess of the Hearth
Greetings fans of Greek and Roman mythology! After having recently written about the Olympians Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis, and Apollo, with a serpentine digression upon Medusa, I will now return to another of the six primary Olympians, Hestia. Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, or fireplace. Her Roman name was Vesta. She was also a child of Cronus and Rhea. Of all the six major Olympians, Hestia has the fewest stories written about her since she never went anywhere or did much of anything. After all, the hearth, or fireside, is immovable, and hence Hestia did not stray far from being a homebody. She never married, never had any children, and was sometimes pictured as a kindly old aunt.
Despite Hestia's vanilla, rather dull character, nevertheless she was extremely important to the security of the people of Greece and Rome. To show their gratitude for protecting them, they granted her the first fruits of every sacrifice in order to keep the "home fires burning." Considering the fact that fire can be so beneficial and yet so destructive, it is no wonder that perhaps this was the goddess who seemed closest to the Greeks and to the Romans, as there was an altar (i.e. the hearth) to Hestia in every Greek and Roman household. The hearth fire of a Roman or Greek household was never allowed to go out, and if it did, a ritual had to be completed to relight it. No flipping a switch to start a fire in the ancient world!
Hestia was both the oldest and youngest of the Olympian gods. She was the first born, and hence swallowed first by Cronus (who swallowed all of his children, except for Zeus). However, she was also the youngest because she was the last one to re-emerge from Cronus's stomach once he was tricked by Zeus into throwing up all the gods once again.
In the great Forum in the City of Rome, the round temple of Vesta housed an eternal flame. The Romans believed that if the Vestal Virgins, or 6 priestesses who tended that flame, were ever to let the fire go out, then Rome would fall. Apparently the priestesses did a pretty good job, as the power of Rome lasted from 753 BCE to 410 CE. Each Vestal virgin could never marry (just as their patron goddess Vesta never married). Each priestess was trained for 10 years to tend the flame, then tended that eternal flame for another 10 years, and then taught new trainees for another 10 years before their service to Rome ended. This 30-year commitment was held in very high regard by all Romans.
**Mythology Book Corner** Another excellent mythology resource is the comprehensive tome by Pierre Grimal, which is simply laden with Greek mythological facts. It is in the form of a dictionary, with highly readable entries which tell just about everything there is to know about Greek Myths. This book, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, has a handy index as well. If you memorize this book, you'll know just about all there is to know about Greek myth.
*Interesting fact: the Latin word for hearth is focus. As the hearth was the center of classical homes, so too do we mentally center when we "focus."*
Next week I will discuss the last of the six Olympians: Hades, the god of the Underworld.
Despite Hestia's vanilla, rather dull character, nevertheless she was extremely important to the security of the people of Greece and Rome. To show their gratitude for protecting them, they granted her the first fruits of every sacrifice in order to keep the "home fires burning." Considering the fact that fire can be so beneficial and yet so destructive, it is no wonder that perhaps this was the goddess who seemed closest to the Greeks and to the Romans, as there was an altar (i.e. the hearth) to Hestia in every Greek and Roman household. The hearth fire of a Roman or Greek household was never allowed to go out, and if it did, a ritual had to be completed to relight it. No flipping a switch to start a fire in the ancient world!
Hestia was both the oldest and youngest of the Olympian gods. She was the first born, and hence swallowed first by Cronus (who swallowed all of his children, except for Zeus). However, she was also the youngest because she was the last one to re-emerge from Cronus's stomach once he was tricked by Zeus into throwing up all the gods once again.
In the great Forum in the City of Rome, the round temple of Vesta housed an eternal flame. The Romans believed that if the Vestal Virgins, or 6 priestesses who tended that flame, were ever to let the fire go out, then Rome would fall. Apparently the priestesses did a pretty good job, as the power of Rome lasted from 753 BCE to 410 CE. Each Vestal virgin could never marry (just as their patron goddess Vesta never married). Each priestess was trained for 10 years to tend the flame, then tended that eternal flame for another 10 years, and then taught new trainees for another 10 years before their service to Rome ended. This 30-year commitment was held in very high regard by all Romans.
**Mythology Book Corner** Another excellent mythology resource is the comprehensive tome by Pierre Grimal, which is simply laden with Greek mythological facts. It is in the form of a dictionary, with highly readable entries which tell just about everything there is to know about Greek Myths. This book, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, has a handy index as well. If you memorize this book, you'll know just about all there is to know about Greek myth.
*Interesting fact: the Latin word for hearth is focus. As the hearth was the center of classical homes, so too do we mentally center when we "focus."*
Next week I will discuss the last of the six Olympians: Hades, the god of the Underworld.
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