Greece undoubtedly has one of the most interesting cultures in terms of its mythologies. Within Greek myths, the hero can be seen as representing good and can be either mortal or a demi-god. A mortal is an individual who is 100 percent human, and an example of a mortal hero within these myths Jason, of Jason and the Golden Fleece. A demi-god is defined as someone who is part human, but is also part god. In Greek myths, Hercules and Perseus are examples of demi-god heroes in their myths. Whether he be mortal or a demi-god, the hero may receive some help from a god in completing his task in some myths. However, it is still the hero, not the god that accomplishes the task and is recognized for it.
Every Greek myth with a hero in it has a monster or monsters that the hero must face at some point in the myth. “MONSTERS,…, were beings of unnatural proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury and annoyance of men. […]”(Bullfinch). The monsters in the Greek myths are antagonists to the heroes and represent evil. An example of a Greek myth monster is, “… The Stymphalian Birds These monstrous birds had wings, beaks and claws of bronze…”. There is also, “… The Wild Boar of Erymanthus The boar was a huge beast that Heracles hunted through deep fields of snow…” (Daly 58) as well as the, “SIRENS…, female creatures, often depicted with wings, who lured sailors to their deaths with their bewitching song…” (Willis 147). These are just three of many Greek monsters, however, the variety of monsters in Greek myths can be classified into three groups: direct, indirect, and deceptive. These groupings are based on how the monster attacks the hero.
In Greek myths, t...
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... or evil. The peace after the subsided storm and the light overtaking the darkness represent the hero or good; these events are inevitable and are representative of the hero always defeating the monster and good always overcoming evil.
Works Cited
Bullfinch, Thomas. “MONSTERS.” The Age of Fables or Stories of Gods and Heroes 1855. Bullfinch, Thomas, Mon. 15 Feb. 2010.
Daly, Kathleen N. “Heracles.” Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z. New York:
Facts On File, Inc., 1992. 58
Hamilton, Edith. “The Great Heroes Before the Trojan War.” Mythology”Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York” The Penguin Group, 1942. 151
Moncrieff, A.R. Hope. “Hercules.” A Treasury of Classical Mythology. Singapore” Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1992
Willis, Roy. “Greece.” World Mythology. New York” Henry Holt and Company, Inc, 1993. 147
As seen throughout The Odyssey, a hero is perceived as a person who achieves great success never before seen and whose legacy lives beyond their years. Since The Odyssey was written around the eighth century BCE, the people that we view as heros in present day tend to embody different traits than the heroes of that time. Even though the word, “hero” does not have one specific definition, a hero is generally categorized as someone who is idolized for their bravery and does anything necessary to defend their people. Although Odysseus embodies the Homeric ideals of heroism in that he accomplishes triumphs that others have not, his successes are the product of divine intervention and his actions were primarily selfish; therefore, he is not a true
Throughout history, many ancient cultures created stories involving great heroes and gods to explain certain aspects of their daily lives. These stories would form an important part of the culture’s religion and are referred to today as mythology. One great hero from ancient Greek mythology is Perseus. According to both ancient standards and today’s standards, Perseus would be seen as a great hero. The many actions that Perseus is said to have done in his adventures prove his heroism.
Myths feature women from many different social classes, depicting the different roles women play in society. Surprisingly, the only women with starring roles are queens and princesses, i.e. Helen, Medea, Clytmnestra and more. The third and final level of women in Greek mythology is that of the monster. These monsters are part woman and part animal and mainly depict the fears of woman inside the head of the man, i.e.
What ancient religion contains infidelity, incest, and life-time long punishments of which were almost, if not, are unbearable? Welcome to Greek Mythology! The Ancient Greeks envisioned higher powers, such as titans, gods and many other mystical wonders to account for every unexplainable thing they saw. As a result, a series of tales of betrayal, humiliation and entrancements sprouted from the imagination of the Ancient Greeks. The international bestseller, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, engages it’s readers, while telling the narratives of the Greek Gods.
Hercules is best known for his twelve labours. That said, few people actually know why Hercules had to perform these labours. He is the man of everyone’s dreams – men and women alike. He had the physique, the complexion, the heritage, and the romance. Because of Hercules’ ancestry, he is automatically considered a hero. This is because of the globally accepted equation: God + Mortal = Hero (Rouse, 1957, p. 55).
Homer’s The Odyssey chronicles Odysseus’s return home from the Trojan War to reunite with his wife, kingdom, and son. However, Odysseus has been encountering serious difficulties that have prevented him from reaching home for nearly twenty years. These difficulties include various different types of monsters, each of which seems to embody undesirable traits such as laziness or savagery. The Greeks portray creatures with these traits as monsters as an example of the Greeks’ “better” traits and subsequent superiority. Each species of monster within The Odyssey represents one or more qualities that the Greeks have demonized in comparison to themselves.
A final archetype that the hero faces is the monster archetype. In the section “Monsters & the Hero,” Julie Harris states “For as long as there been heroes, there have have always been forces to act in direct conflict with them.” Ever since there was a hero there have always been someone or something against that hero. The opposing force to Odysseus is Poseidon, god of land and sea, because Poseidon was the one who doomed Odysseus to his fate. Polyphemus told his father Poseidon to “Let him lose all his companions and return under strange soil to bitter days at home,” and Poseidon grants his wish.
On Mount Erymanthos, Hercules ate with Pholus the centaur, and was later attacked by drunk centaurs. He killed many with the arrows he dipped in the Hydra’s blood. He consulted Chiron the centaur, who told him to drive the boar into the snow. He captured the boar and carried it to King Eurystheus, who hid in a jar because he was afraid of the boar.
...of wind” (Hamilton 185) to vanquish another evil monster, the Chimaera. Unlike the malevolent monsters that are composed of creatures, in and of themselves are dangerous to man (i.e. lions, serpents, wolves, rams, raptors). Centaurs and Pegasus are the noble steeds to man.
Millette, Ashley and Aashish Srinivas. “Beasts and Myths of the Middle Ages.” n.p. n.d. Web. 20 March 2014.
One of the most interesting qualities of Greek mythology is probably the depiction of monsters in the myths. However, these monsters are not all unique. In fact, they all fall into very distinct categories, making them almost the same. Most monsters in Greek mythology look and act in the same ways. Several monsters from these myths look the same in that they have very similar qualities such as being large, snake or human like. However, they are also very alike in that they behave in very similar ways, from guarding something or roaming freely and causing chaos. Generally, the monsters in Greek mythology follow this outline and are depicted in a way to show these qualities.
Hercules, or known in Latin as Heracles, was the greatest of the Greek heroes, a paragon of masculinity. In art Hercules was portrayed as a powerful, muscular man wearing lion's skin and armed with a huge club. He was also described as being a macho man buffoon, who was very impulsive. Hercules’ home and birthing place is in Thebes, Greece. Thebes is a city in central Greece. It plays as an important setting in many Greek myths, such as the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and many other important roles in Greek Mythology. The demigod, Hercules has an interesting origin, he is most famous for his 12 labors, and leaves a legacy in words and expressions.
When the monster (also Nature) is created, the role of antagonist and protagonist changes due to enforcement. When the monster was created, it wasn’t the antagonist. It tried to do many good things such as saving a small girl. Those good deeds were never rewarded, causing the monster to be disgusted with humanity making it, by...
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
I have been assigned a Greek monster named Scylla which is known as an evil monster because she is evil with sailors that cross where she lives and destroys them and kills at least 6 sailors. She comes out in a Greek story of odysseus and becomes mean because of her jealousness. Because of her jealousness she became evil and ugly and converted her as a sea monster and is now known as a two dog headed creature and a long tail. Her known parents are Phorcys (dad) and Ceto (Mom). They myth is that she used to be a pretty cute young lady which everyone desired to have and couldn’t because she was to pretty for them. But now she lives in the water (sea) and is an evil mean woman that rages and attacks any sailor to cross her. She goes close to