Lecture 1 Flashcards
Types of Myths
- Divine Myths
- Legends (Sagas)
- Folktales
Divine Myths
Also known as pure myths
Supernatural main characters
Usually explain why something is the way it is in the world.
Legends/ Sagas
Stories of great deeds by humans or semi-divine characters
Legends narrate human past
Rooted in reality
Anthropomorphism
Personification of aspects of nature
Gods. animals or another object
Heinrich Schliemann
Believed that the events of the Iliad maybe true
Funded the anthropological research
Folktales
Main characters are ordinary people or animals
Serve to entertain and teach behavior
Ainos
Greek folktales
Motif
Regular appearance of an identifiable pattern or symbol in a story
Theories of Myths
- Allegory
- Physical Allegory
- False Etymologies
- Historical Allegory; Euhemerism
Allegory
Similar to symbolism
Physical Allegory
Theagenes, first to use allegory to interpret myth
Battle between the gods actually represent conflicts between natural forces
False etymologies
Creating false meanings due to thinking two words are related
Cronus (father of Zeus)
• Greeks tried to relate Cronus with Cronos
(time).
• When Cronus eats his children, it means
‘time devours everything’
• However, Cronus and Cronos are not
etymologoically related words.
Historical Allegory: Euhemerism
Euhemerism says myth
tells us historical truths, not philosophical truths.
The gods are historical figures, human kings who ruled
long ago and who eventually were transformed by story into gods.
Periods of Time
• Neolithic (‘New Stone’ Age): Agriculture starts
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• Early/Middle Bronze Age: Myths
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• Mycenaean Age (Late Bronze Age): Trojan War ends
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• Dark Age: Loss of writing ability
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• Archaic Period: Illiad/Oddesy
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• Classical Period:
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• Hellenistic Period: Greek values pushed forward
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• Roman Rule
The Minoans
Look peace-loving Advanced Bull and double- headed ax= Religious Symbols Worshipped a single female God Lost language Predated the greek language and the Indo-European Destroyed by a volcano Linear A script
Myceneans
Occuppied what previously the Minoans had
Violent people
Linear B script
Indo-Europeans
The Greeks were influenced by …
The Near East
Hesiod
Two of his works survived
- The Theogony
- Works and Days
The Theogony
Origin of the universe and ascension of Zeus as the King of gods
Works and Days
an account of the fall of man from a golden age to one of
iron.
How did the universe start
From Chaos
What was created from Chaos
Erebus Nyx Gaia Tartarus Eros
Who did Gaia create (Important)
Uranus
Erinyes
Giants
Gaia + Tartarus
Typhoeus
The Fates
Thought to be 3 sisters
- Spinner
- Apportioner
- One that can not be negotiated with
Gaia
Personification of the Earth
Tartarous
Far below the earth
Dark, musty basement of Earth
Land of the dead
Eros
Erotic Impulse
Desire to have sex
Uranos
Personification of the sky
Gaia + Uranos
Titians
Cyclopes
Hecatoncheires
Important Titans
Rhea Themis Mnemosyne Cronos Phoebe
Rhea + Cronos = New generation of Gods
Who sprang from Uranos
Aphrodite
The Giants and Erinyes (produced by Uranos blood spilling on Gaia)
Nymphs (from blood)
Olympians
Produced from Rhea and Cronos
Rhea + Cronos
Hestia Hera Demeter Hades Poseidon Zeus
Hera
Wife of Zeus
Marriage
Childbirth
Hades
God of the underworld
Demeter
Fertility of the Earth
Poseidon
Ocean and Earth Shaker
Zeus
God of the sky
Omphalos
Rock that Cronos threw up
The Titanomachy
Titans led by Cronos
Zeus leads the Olympians
Olympians won
Titans banished to Tartarous
Typhoeus
Son of Gaia and Tartarous
Dragon like
Zeus puts Typhoeus under Mt.Edna
Athena
Metis + Zeus
Zeus swallows Metis
Athena pops out of Zeus’ head
What do earth-born species look like usually
Serpents
Pandora
Attractive female sent to Earth as a punishment
Punishment for Prometheus stealing back fire
All the gods contributed to her
Prometheus’ punishment
Chained to a rock
Liver pecked out by an eagle everyday
Ages of Man
Hesiod’s Work and Days
Ovid’s Metamorphsis
What are the Age of Man
Golden Age Silver Age Bronze Age Age of the Heros (Doesn't exist in Ovid's) Iron Age
Zeus (Full)
Sky God
Husband of Hera
Had many lovers and offspring
What objects are associated with Zeus
The Bull and the lighting bolt
Hera
Marriage / Childbirth
Mother of Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus
Posidon
The Earth Shaker
Associated with the horse
Hades
Invisible one (Face of death) No one can willingly leave the underworld
Apollo
Aristocratic Thought as a young man Crow Used the lyer May be an imported god God of prophecy Bow and arrow =weapons Known for his unhappy loves
Hermes
Guides souls to underworld
God of travel, commerce, boundaries, theft and trickery
Birth of Hermes
Zeus and Maya
Hermes inventions
Invented lyre
Invented the sandle
Invented the sausage
Story of Io
Saved Io Killed Argus (Peacock tail made in remembrance)
Pan
Son of Hermes
God of wild
Christianity associates him with the devil
Hephatetus
Blacksmith
Born from Hera alone
Ares
Worst aspects of warfare
Affair w/ Aphrodite
Adonis’ murder (Killed Adonis in jealousy)
