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A closer look at metamorphosis in ancient literature
Women's role in ancient greece religion
Women's role in ancient greece religion
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Recommended: A closer look at metamorphosis in ancient literature
Greek Mythology: Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a key element in Greek mythology. This ability to change shape or form is a major development in the stories of Arachne, Zeus, and Daphne.
Almost all of the gods had the power of metamorphosis.
The first story was the one of Arachne. Arachne was a mortal, who was a great weaver. She was the best of all the mortals. She even thought she was as good as one of the gods. Nobody was as good as the gods at anything. She thought she was as good as the god Athene. Athene was the god of arts. When
Athene heard Arachne say she was better than her, Athene challenged Arachne to a contest. The winner would chose the losers punishment. Arachne accepted and went first in the competition. Hers was very beautiful, but she was no match for Athene. Athene was weaving about things that happened to the gods. While the crowd watched Athene, Arachne new that she had lost, so she went and hung herself. She soon shriveled up and had eight legs. That is how the Greeks explained the way spiders came to be.
Another example of metamorphosis is Zeus. Zeus was the king of all gods.
He had probably the most changes in Greek mythology. He was always changing to get a girl to marry him. The most important change was when he got his first wife Hera. Zeus had ask Hera to marry him every year for three hundred years.
One stormy night Zeus changed into a pigeon, and flew onto a window seal near
Hera. She let what she thought was a helpless little pigeon in through the window. She did not know it was Zeus at the time. Hera petted the bird and told it she loved it. At that time Zeus changed into himself and Hera had to marry him. That made her the queen of all gods. The Greeks believed in having many wives. And the sneaky god Zeus was he had over one hundred wives, none of them where as important as Hera.
Daphne was another example of metamorphosis. Daphne was not one of the gods of the Pantheon. One of the gods from the Pantheon loved her, his name was
Apollo. Apollo liked chasing Daphne. Daphne did not like to run, so one day she cried out "please turn me into a tree". Her wish was granted. She was turned into what we know today as the laurel tree.
One day, she headed to court with the other gods, and all the women noticed the pretty baubles that were adorning Thetis. After they found out that it was long-lost Hephaistos, Hera went and asked him to come to Olympus.
There is no doubt in mythology that the king of gods, Zeus, is the most supreme and powerful, ruling the sky. He controls the thunderbolt, a symbol of power feared by both gods and mortals. The Greeks and Romans honored Zeus above all other gods. He is without mistake, the god of all gods. Their stories of Zeus are plenty; his designs have molded mythology from his birth. Zeus' victory in outwitting his intelligent wife, Metis, by swallowing her pregnant, was the gateway used by the Greeks and Romans to show Zeus as the greatest god to come since his father and grandfather. However, as the stories of the gods and goddesses unfold, the Greeks and Roman's interpretation of Zeus' characteristics are different. Zeus is always upheld as the king of gods, but his other personal attributes to his godly rein are conflicting. Zeus' characteristics of fearfulness of female deities, cunningness and use of trickery, and lust in Ovid's Metamorphoses compared to the Theogony are opposed due to Hesiod's true respect of Zeus versus Ovid's lack of respect of Jupiter in Roman mythology.
On a global scale, the United States is a relatively wealthy country of advanced industrialization. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is among the costliest, spending close to 18% of gross domestic product (GDP) towards funding healthcare (2011). No universal healthcare coverage is currently available. United States healthcare is currently funded through private, federal, state, and local sources. Coverage is provided privately and through the government and military. Nearly 85% of the U.S. population is covered to some extent, leaving a population of close to 48 million without any type of health insurance. Cost is the primary reason for lack of insurance and individuals foregoing medical care and use of prescription medications.
She is the only goddess with an active sexual life. Many others had a couple of children, and suddenly stopped. In order to control her sexual tendencies, Zeus arranged a marriage for Aphrodite. She married her half-brother, Hephaestus, the god of fire and smithy to the gods. This marriage did not work out well, since...
So, it goes to show that when Twain published his novel, he would bring upon
Mythology was very important to the men and women of ancient Greece. They worshipped the gods and goddesses, wrote poems about them, and based a great deal of art work off of them. The people of Greece looked to the gods and goddesses for help in all aspects of their lives; including health, agriculture, and war. Reading about Greek mythology can inform people about the society of Greece itself because the Greek gods were created by the people of Greece. Three main goddesses who were worshipped by the Greeks were Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance in the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society. The women were the only ones able to bear children. Also, if they were forced to stay in the house, men could keep a greater control on their wives, and not have to worry about them having affairs. The second important trait was virginity until marriage. Its importance to the Greek culture lied in the fear of a woman’s power. The men of the society felt it best that a woman remained a virgin until she was married; however this same attribute was not required of a man. Their belief can be explained by this quote written by P. Walcot in the article “Greek Attitudes Towards Women: The Mythological Evidence”: “The Greeks believed women...
also the goddess of war and the patroness of arts and crafts. Which led her to be a great leader
“I am the smartest” Athena said while having two guys fan her. Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Zeus was the supreme ruler of all Gods. Athena smiled brushing the guys away once she had enough. She sat up to see three girls walking towards her. Her eyes widen as she quickly signaled her boyfriend, Cyrus “Who are these women ?” she asks.
Hera was not a principal deity; her job was a subservient one – she was Zeus'
Zeus, most likely the most renowned god of all gods, the mighty god of lightning has taken part in some of the most widely known myths of all times. Zeus has taken part in many Greek and Roman myths alike, either as Zeus or as his Roman counterpart of Jupiter. Unlike most gods in mythology though, Zeus is the main character in almost all of the myths he is mentioned in. Whether the myth is about his epic clash against the Titans, his fight against the Giants or even about his extramarital affairs, Zeus always seems to come out of these conflicts unaffected and triumphant. When examining Zeus’ character though, it is important to note that Zeus is a god that exhibits human characteristics throughout most of his myths. Growth is one of the many human attributes that Zeus portrays in many of his myths.
Over 46.3 Million People in the United States (15.4 percent of the US population) did not have health insurance in 2008 (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor, & Smith, 2009). Consequently, many Americans receive little or no health care. Many, but not all of these people are women and children. Some are destitute, some are not. Many of these people are hard working Americans who cannot afford coverage, yet earn too much money to qualify for their state Medicaid plans, but should have access to health care. In 2008, health care expenditures surpassed $2.3 trillion, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980 (Kimbuende, Ranji, Lundy, & Salganicoff, 2010, para. 1). In 2007, 62.1 Percent of all US bankruptcies were related to medical expenses. Ironically, 78 percent of the medical bankruptcies were filed by people who had health insurance (Himmelstein, Thorne, Warren, & Woolhandler, 2009). Due to the rising costs of healthcare and increased numbers of the uninsured most Americans support the need for healthcare reform; however the reform that is proposed by the government is unfair, too expensive and inadequate to meet the needs of our population.
Zeus was the sixth and last child born to the Titans, Cronus and Rhea. Cronus was the leader of the Titans and father of the Olympians. Gaea's prophecy said that one of Cronus's sons would overthrow him. Because of this, he swallows each of his and Rhea's children at birth. After Cronus swallowed Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, Gaea had enough. When Rhea gave birth to Zeus, Gaea helped find a cave on Mount Ida for him. Rhea wrapped up a rock in cloth and gave it to Cronus to swallow, protecting Zeus. Mark Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopaedia, http://www.ancient.eu.com/zeus/ (accessed April 24 2014). Zeus could then grow up in secret to one day fulfill Gaea's prophecy.
Magic is somehow always incorporated into the idea of sudden transformation or metamorphosis. Witchcraft and sorcery supposedly uses magical spells to change ordinary objects into wonderful creations or evil mutations. It was said that witches had the ability to turn into certain animals such as a frog or a cat but always with a deformity. They could also transform people into any wicked object they desired. On the other hand, sorcerers could also use their power of metamorphosis to help mankind, create beauty and fulfill ones wishes. Again, the powers of good and evil, positive and negative appear when describing metamorphosis because change can be great or malevolence.