lecture 14 & ch. 12, 13 Flashcards
main points: afterlife (vergil's underworld), heroism (gilgamesh), argive myth
Which funeral process was most popular in antiquity?
There were two main processes, cremation and burial.
- The popularity of each method varied throughout the ages.
In antiquity, how were the body and the soul understood?
They were seen as separate.
Body - physical
Soul - still you but the intangible you.
How was the afterlife understood in antiquity?
THE STATE OF DEATH IS SIMILAR TO BEING ALIVE.
- things that would be terrible in life are punishments depicted in the underworld.
- things that are seen as blessed in life become the depiction for heaven.
Who are three important villains in the underworld? Briefly explain.
- Sisyphus - cheats death.
Punishment: perpetually laboring; ruling a boulder up a hill and every time it reaches the top it rolls back down to the bottom of the hill. - Tantalus - fed his own son, Pelops, to the gods.
Punishment: he is forever thirsty and forever hungry and forever teased with food and water being just out of reach. - Ixion - attempts to rape Hera but she gets replaced by a cloud and he has sex with it thinking it’s her.
Punishment: bound to a fiery wheel that was always spinning.
What is orphism? What does it believe?
Similar to reincarnation; a weird cosmic egg exists and a phallus is consumed. Stuff happens resulting in Zeus being in charge.
- Zeus marries Demeter and has Persephone. Zeus then has a child with Persephone, Zagreus (orphic Dionysus).
- The Titans dismember and cook him, Zeus kills the Titans with the Thunderbolt.
- The pieces of Zagreus and the ashes of the Titans result in the creation of humanity.
What does orphism believe regarding death?
Death frees the divine
element from the corrupt body.
Who was seen as one of the fathers of
transubstantiation?
Pythagoras
What is Plato’s myth of Er?
It tells the story of a soldier, Er, who is thought to be dead
and descends to the underworld. When he revives, he is sent back to tell humanity what awaits them in the afterlife.
- Er describes an afterlife where the just are
rewarded and the wicked
are punished.
According to Homer, who are Patroclus (Iliad) and Elpenor (Odyssey)?
They appear as ghosts and ask for a burial.
- ghosts are depicted as having no power; they are not a threat.
- the afterlife is life without any content, ghosts are vessels of emptiness.
In relation to the afterlife and the Odyssey, how is Odysseus depicted? Describe the scene of the Odyssey.
He is depicted as a necromancer.
- he conducts a ritual in the far reaches of the earth and summons ghosts.
- tiresias provides Odysseus with warnings about home.
How does Virgil depict the underworld in the Aeneid? List some features.
- Sibyl of Cumae is Aeneas’ guide
- The golden bough is required
- There’s geography (Acheron, Styx)
- Charon - boat driver
- Palinurus - similar to Elpenor
- Cerberus - 3 headed guard dog
- Tartarus/hell and Elysium are both found in the underworld
- Mino’s judgement - idk man. Minos acts like a judge for disputes in the underworld
How is the definition of a hero different when comparing antiquity and modernity?
Modernity - moral rectitude, sacrifice, courage etc
Antiquity - THEIR DEATH, usually from nobility, often have one divine parent, mortality.
Why did heroes from antiquity have to die?
They needed to die in order to receive cults and veneration.
How can Gilgamesh best be described?
He is a historical character that was elevated to the status of a god.
What do heroes NEED?
They need other heroes.
What are two aspects that Gilgamesh, the historical character, was famous for?
- He built walls around the city, Uruk, which was considered an impressive feat
- He was known to be an arrogant ruler
When understanding the episodes within the epic of Gilgamesh, what happens during quest 1?
Quest 1 is the expedition into the land of the living/land of the cedars.
- Enkidu and Gilgamesh go out together, they are scared to enter the forest because Humbaba is located in it.
- They are successful in killing Humbaba and act arrogantly about it; they brag to the gods.
- Enlil is angry about their success
When understanding the episodes within the epic of Gilgamesh, what happens during quest 2?
Quest 2 includes the bull of Heaven.
- After killing Humbaba, Gilgamesh returns home and cleans up.
- Ishtar approaches him wanting to engage in spiciness (oop) but Gilgamesh rejects her, choosing to insult her in the process.
- After insulting her, Ishtar goes to Anu and asks for her honor to be defended. Anu sends the bull of Heaven.
- The heroes kill the bull, Enkidu mutilates it and throws the phallus at Ishtar.
- Enkidu is cursed with illness and dies.
When understanding the episodes within the epic of Gilgamesh, what happens during quest 3?
Quest 3 revolves around Gilgamesh’s hunt for eternal
life.
- After losing in kiddo, Gilgamesh seeks eternal life as he is distressed about the idea of being killed.
- In seeking Utnapishtim, he takes a path of the sun and crosses the sea. Upon reaching him, he asks for eternal life.
- Gilgamesh is given the trial of conquering sleep and immediately fails. Gilgamesh asks for another trial.
- He is then given the trial of obtaining a plant found at the base of the ocean. He retrieves it but upon resurfacing, the plant is eaten.
- The result is he has to learn to come to terms with his own mortality, supposedly he requests his legacy be recorded so his name may live on forever.
