15. Isis- wife of Osiris; goddess that dealt with speaking to the dead, bring n]back the dead to life, curing the sick, and magic…
Are gods and goddesses really all that different from humans? They have feelings just as mortals do, as well as natural desires that humans encounter. In addition, gods and goddesses share many of the same qualities humans possess. For example, they have emotions that they sometimes have difficulty containing, such as love, fear, jealousy, rage, lust, and compassion. In Book V of Homer’s The Odyssey, some of these qualities are revealed through Calypso when she is visited by Hermes, the messenger of the gods. She becomes angry with him and yells, “You gods are the most jealous bastards in the universe- persecuting any goddess who ever openly takes a mortal…
Hades' most famous myth was the "Rape of Persephone." There are many different versions of this story. It was a myth explaining the four seasons. When Hades asked Zeus for a wife, Zeus offered him Persephone without Demeter's approval. So Hades stole Persephone and brought her to the underworld and made her queen. When Demeter realized she was gone she searched the world for her daughter. When she couldn't find her she made the world go…
Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Herakles, the most popular figure from ancient Greek mythology. Hercules was the son of Zeus, king of the gods, and the mortal woman Alcmene. Zeus, who was always chasing one woman or another, took on the form of Alcmene's husband, Amphitryon, and visited Alcmene one night in her bed, and so Hercules was born a demi-god with incredible strength and stamina. He performed amazing feats, including wrestling death and traveling twice to the underworld, and his stories were told throughout Greece and later in Rome, yet his life was far from easy from the moment of his birth, and his relationships with others were often disastrous. This was because Hera, the wife of Zeus, knew that Hercules was her husband's illegitimate son and sought to destroy him.…
In Greek culture the people showed their beliefs in the way they represented the gods they worshipped. The religious cults used female deities to exemplify such things as human and earthly fertility. Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, is a wonderful example of this. The Greeks tradition of storytelling, as a means of passing on poems, is thought to have been the method of transport for much of the information that was passed on in those days. Many of these poems described the sexual / biological differences between the sexes. Females were thought to be insatiable while males had the capability of showing great restraint. Female sexuality was exemplified through the depiction of women like Aphrodite and Helen of Troy. (The Trojan War was said to have been started because Paris abducted Helen from her household.)…
Upon reading Greek tragedies, many similar themes and tropes would often reappear as a way to tell the audience that the story which they are reading is a tragedy. One of these tropes was the seeking justice. Whether if the justice for another person or their own gratification, justice was a major influence in these plays. Two examples of such tragedies were the Oresteia and Hippolytus. In both, the death of one character sparked a chain reaction that leads others characters to find ways to avenge the fallen ones. This would usually entail more death to come, and cycle of violence seemed to be endless until the gods stepped into the fray to resolve the conflict that the humans simplicity could not. While many could interpret the god’s actions as the law because as powerful beings, they…
In the classical depiction of Hercules, key themes of Redemption and suffering go hand in hand and are present throughout. When Hera (Zeus’s wife) drives Hercules to madness she sends him to brutally murder his own wife and sons. Hercules is overwhelmed with a sense of ‘blood guilt’ and suffering and condemns himself to exile. He then seeks the Delphic Oracle’s help, she tells him that he is to complete 10 labours for King Eurystheus in order to redeem and rid himself of the blood guilt and suffering and become an immortal (APOLLODORUS, LIBRARY 22.4.12.) The idea of suffering makes heroes like Hercules relatable to the mortal audience and whilst Hercules is a demi god making him faster, stronger and more agile than any other hero- he remains…
Homer’s The Odyssey is a tale about a man journeying home to his family while facing many trials along the way. Throughout the story, there are many themes that illustrated the Greek Society’s beliefs at the time. One of the most prominent themes is how the Greek Gods were portrayed throughout the story. Due to their significant aid to Odysseus’s endeavors, the Gods in Ancient Greek Society were revered as good and pure.…
Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you reap joy (Ransom).” This quote symbolizes Demeter’s life as goddess of the harvest. Demeter provided a great deal to Greek mythology through her anger and compassion of being a caring mother. Her origins, myths about her life, as well as symbols and representations of her, all make up Demeter’s reputation.…
In every culture, there is some sort of Great Goddess. They are also known as the Creator goddess. These Great Goddesses shares many similarities such as the ability to give birth and nourishing. The idea that a female can generate another life is very amazing. Some historians discovered many artifacts and figures dating back to the Paleolithic period through the Bronze Age. These artifacts proved that this culture worships the Great Goddess and believe that they are the source of all life. There are three main functions of the Great Goddess, the source of life, of death and of transfiguration or rebirth. These three functions were also divided among the various Olympian goddesses.…
Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind.…
Greek mythology is centered upon the various Gods and their contributions to every aspect of human life. The people of Ancient Greece worshipped Zeus and his contemporaries and exalted them in several mythological works. In the eyes of the people, the Gods controlled every sector of Greek society. The Moirai, or “Fates”, however, who existed even before the Gods made their mark on the Greek world, determined the fate of humans and deities alike. This consequently raises the question of why the Fates were not portrayed as glorified figures in the stories of Greek mythology since they had even more power than the Gods themselves. A possible resolution to this question is that more often than not, the prophecy foreseen by the Fates consisted of a negative outcome for the God or human receiving it. As a result, the characters that predicted a doomed future for the Greeks and their beloved Gods were painted as ugly, haggard, witch-like figures in mythological tales.…
Suffering: Job v. Gilgamesh Human suffering is a major theme in Hebrew Bible and in Gilgamesh. Through suffering, human beings can learn about the nature of reality and their place in it. Compare Job and Gilgamesh as suffering heroes, as they search for understanding, and come to accept the limits of their human condition. Use specific examples from both stories to support your ideas…
As a significant part of The Twelve Olympians, Demeter plays a paramount role in the progression of Greek Mythology. Being the goddess of Harvest, Demeter controls that without which man, would cease to live. Her siblings may sometimes overshadow her importance but her contributions to the worlds are as essential if not more than that of her brothers and sisters. It is her extremely different personality that allows her to do so. In her myths Demeter’s personality shapes the outcome of the myth and without it myths would change in totality. In all sincerity, Demeter is a compassionate, protective, and motherly god, and she always ensures the prosperity of harvests.…
One of the first things you will notice in these myths is that they are all based on gods. Each myth has an evil entity that helps set the myth to tell a story on what happened and to get the message across. Each evil entity plays a big part in the myth and eventually loses the battle to show that good always prevails.…