Muses
The nine Muses were Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. They were the daughters of Zeus, the King of Gods, and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Some say that after Pegasus, the winged horse, kicked a rock on Mount Helicon, the Muses were born in the four sacred springs that gushed out of the crevice. Above the clouds, covering the divine mountain peaks of Mount Olympus and Mount Helicon, the Muses dwelled. They reigned over the liberal and fine arts, especially in music, literature, and dance. The nine muses were even considered to be the embodiment of their own respective art. Apollo, the god of music, poetry, and medicine, was said to be the leader of the Muses when they performed
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Erato was characterized with a Cithara, a type of lyre. She was said to be alluring and passionate to many Greek poets. Occasionally illustrated with turtle doves and golden arrows, she was said to accompany the Eros, the god of love. Erato’s name meant, “desired,” and was given to her because of her romantic poetry. Melpomene
Melpomene, the fifth oldest sister, represented tragedy. A tragic mask was used to portray her art. She was usually portrayed holding a sword, wearing a wreath of cypress, and cothurnus, boots customarily worn by actors in tragedies. Cypress was a symbol for agony or sorrow. Melpomene’s name meant, “to celebrate with dance and song,” and was given to her because was she first the muse of song. Polyhymnia
Polyhymnia, the patron of sacred hymn, was the sixth oldest sister. Her symbol was a veil, correlating with a virgin priestess. Polyhymnia was thought to be very serious and eloquent. Often, she was depicted as leaning on a column in deep thought or holding a finger near her mouth. Many mortals who wanted to advance society would pray to her, invoking her inspiration. It was believed that she could enlighten people about life and their religious beliefs. Polyhymnia’s name meant, “many praise,” and was given to her because sacred hymns were meant for the gods and
life, i.e. birth, harvest, etc. Accompanying the 6 major goddesses (Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter and Artemis) we have the lesser divinities such as the Muses, the Graces, the Fates, etc.
EPÙÓ, Greek for Eros, is shown to be beautiful in Bridges’ poem: beautiful and adored, yet forgotten. Eros is venerated—called “idol”, and he plagues the heart as a “tyrant.” He is a “flower” of “lovely youth,” and an image of “eternal truth.” Through these strong words, Eros is portrayed to be the god that people all look up to in admiration for his credible honor and ideal beauty. Eros is so striking that only the famous Pheidias, the Greek Sculptor, can compare through his “marmoreal” works. Greek sculptors strove for perfection and this Eros was—perfection. Although giving thought and love to others, he received none back, yet continued his job without complaint. People recognize the youth and beauty of love with the vivid images that Bridges uses. “With thy exuberant flesh so fair,” people are able to see Eros’s outward beauty. At that instantaneous moment, people are enthralled by Eros’ splendor, but once they are satisfied, they forget, and their momentary enchantment disappears. “None who e’er long’d for thy embrace, Hath cared to look upon thy face.” All those who yearned for love, received it, but once having done so, neglected to see and look upon Eros. By using these beautiful words and...
“Apollo is considered the god of music, prophecy, oracles, healing, plague and disease, song, poetry, archery, and the protection of the young. He is always depicted as a handsome young male with long flowing hair, with his bow and his lyre in hand. His Mother and Father are Zeus and Leto. (Leto is a female titan.) Apollo has a twin sister named Artemis. She is the goddess of hunting, wilderness, and wild animals. Apollo was not only a very skilled musician he was also very skilled with his Silver bow.” (1)
For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.
Athena and Calypso are the most significant goddesses presented in The Odyssey. While Athena embodies both feminine and not so feminine traits, Calypso embodies the sexual nature of women and the thought and feelings of sexualized women. Calypso, for example, sheds light on the double standards that exist between gods and goddesses: “Hard-hearted you are, you gods! You unrivaled lords of jealousy- scandalized when
The book then talks about viewpoints of women, both real and those who face tragedy. Women during this time were very secluded and silent, but the heroines contradicted that. This chapter talks about the images of women in the classical literature in Athens, and the role they had in society. Many tragedies were ones that formed by mythes during the Bronze Age. It showed the separation in what made women heroic, rather than average. While viewing other Scholarly sourcese, Pomerory writes her own theory, she used others
also the goddess of war and the patroness of arts and crafts. Which led her to be a great leader
Utilizing their natural forces, they personified an idea of trust and the past by being the deliverers of truth and also history. The Muses came into his life and transformed it for the better; this is apparent because he focuses on them in the beginning and the end of his poem. Hesiod’s overall purpose of including the Muses was to create a base of authority and reliability while reading his poem; the presence of the Muses did that exactly. The nine daughters of Zeus led Hesiod’s stories and that is obvious when you simply read them. The stories that he tells have a lyrical rhythm to it as they are read to resemble the song and dance of the Muses as heard by Hesiod long
Most people would define a great female protagonist as intelligent, strong minded and willing to fight for what she believes in. Both Bernarda Alba from Federico Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba and Medea by Euripides fit this description. One is a tyrannical mother who imposes her choices on her five daughters, the other is arguably the strongest non-Olympian woman in all of Greek mythology. If we take a closer look, we notice that these two characters have many things in common. From their positions of strength, to the masculine aspects of their personalities; from the way they deal with situations to the part they play in the deaths of their children. In this essay we will attempt to seek out their similarities, as well as discover how two playwrights, who wrote for distinct audiences millennia apart, could have created two women so alike.
The artist wanted to draw you in by giving you a place to look at imminently upon looking at her and after looking at her your eyes is drawn down to her genitalia. This leads me to believe that she was created to represent fertility in woman, because certain exaggerated parts of her body and very detailed female reproductive organs.
Apollo is one of the most widely renowned Greek god in ancient history, and one of the few gods to have both the same Greek and Roman name (Apollo). An online article, “Apollo,” said that he started out as the god of herdsmen, and “Apollo's identification as god of music, archery, and medicine came after his oracle was established at Delphi” ( “Apollo”). The article on GaleNet also mentioned that much later, he was commemorated as the god of the sun. Apollo is known for his powers in prophesying and his musical abilities with the lyre, a type of harp. He is also acknowledged as an athlete, particularly an archer, and a healer. He is said to have been the god to teach mortals the art of medicine. Apollo is an amazing character in Greek mythology,
In the beginning of the film, the audience is introduced to the five muses who are the goddesses of art, literature, and science. In mythology the muses do rule over art and science, but there are actually nine muses. The only logical explanation for fewer muses in the film would be to cut production cost. The next major difference between the movie and the myth is the role of Hades. In the movie he is chosen to be the evil villain that Hercules must triumph against to prove he is a hero (Disney vs.
Born from the remains of the castration of Uranus, Aphrodite arose from the foam in the sea and became known as the goddess of love to those who worshipped her, described by Hesoid. We see another version of her this goddess’s birth as well, from the gods Zeus and Dione, leaving a double tradition of Aphrodite’s birth and a basic duality in her character. Artemis, the Greek goddess of wild things, was born to Zeus and Leto, and remained a virgin goddess who roamed the forests with her female companions. These two goddesses disagreeing viewpoints on sexual relationships naturally set them up to have a conflicting relationship, yet their well-known trait of revenge in their myths bring a similarity to both the goddess of love and of hunting. Their personalities are compared through their primary functions in Greek mythology and physical characteristics, their behavior in myths that they are involved in, their portrayal in Greek art and literature, and if and how they are worshipped in Greek religion.
Unlike the impatient Theseus, who mourns the dark moon, Hippolyta sees the moon as a symbol of Cupid and his arrows, which unite lovers: