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Greek and Roman mythologies
Modern greek mythology
Modern greek mythology
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Recommended: Greek and Roman mythologies
Athamas, the Greek king, became tired of his old wife Nephele and tossed her aside for another. Babies however, were already on the mind of his new wife Lo. Children of Nephele, Athamas’s ex-wife, were in danger of being murdered by the jealous Lo. Death for Phrixus, the son of Athamas, was a frightening possibility. Everyone thought Phrixus would be sacrificed, but a magical ram swooped in, saving him and his sister. Fleece on the unique ram shone the color of gold. Golden fleece had never been seen on a ram; Nephele thought it must have been sent by a God. Hermes, the son of Zeus, had answered Nephele’s prayers to save her children, and it was he who had sent the mystical ram.
In a cruel turn of fate, Phrixus’ sister slipped off the ram while crossing the water between Europe and Asia, and drowned. Just after Phrixus and the ram arrived in the country of Colchis, he watched his sister die. King Etes obtained the golden fleece from this ram due to Phrixus sacrificing it for him.
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Mindful of his heritage, Jason arrived in the kingdom to confront the king. Nephew Jason told Pelias he had come to take his rightful place as king. Only if he retrieved the Golden Fleece from King Etes, said Pelias, would Jason be allowed to become king. Patience and toughness were required of Jason as he began his perilous journey of many obstacles and challenges on the way to Colchis. Questions of whether the journey was worth it arose in Jason’s mind, but he persisted until he finally reached
As one of the most well known ancient Roman love poets, Ovid has demonstrated bountiful talents within his writing. When reading myths from his book titled Metamorphoses, you gain an enlightening insight of how he viewed mythology. To Ovid, love was the origin of everything. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that most of his poems relate to the theme of love. However, not all poets are the same and every re-telling of a myth has its own unique perspective. In this paper I will compare and contrast the myth of Medea in Euripides Medea and Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 7. I will then explain how Ovid’s approach to love and loss correlate to his general approach to myth as a whole. I will support my belief with evidence from Ovid’s Metamorphoses Book 14.
The quest that Jason took on was also because he wanted to become a hero of Greece and a king
Death is the end to the natural cycle of life and is represented as dark, melancholic and even menacing. The underworld is depicted as a murky and sinister realm where the dead are trapped in a world of eternal darkness. Ancient drama, however, defies the conventional perceptions and representations of death. Despite the foreboding associated with it, characters in ancient drama embrace death in its frightening glory, rather than face the repercussions of their actions, especially when their honor and pride are at stake. Deceit is also an integral part of ancient drama and characters, particularly women, fall prey to it and unwittingly unleash chaos that more often that, negatively impacts the lives of the characters. This paper demonstrates how gender biases can be interpreted from the depiction of death and the characters’ justifications of it in two of Sophocles’ plays – Ajax and Women of Trachis and also demonstrates how female deception leads to the death of the principal character(s).
In The Golden Ass, Lucius draws a strong parallel between the stepmother’s story and that of Meroe, the evil, old witch who kills Socrates when he tries to escape her lustful affections. The stepmother is metaphorically likened to a witch because doing so comments on the danger of a weak-natured woman who holds a position of power. Although no magical evils, such as the spells that Meroe casts upon Socrates, manifest themselves in the story of the stepmother, the emphasis on the unnatural transformation in her disposition and the perverse and sinful nature of her wanton affections symbolize her witchlike nature. The similarity between the two stories helps to fortify the connection between witches and women in a position of power, which ultimately condemns the latter while simultaneously upholding male legacy.
His grandfather, is King of Argos, his name is Acrisius. Acrisius had a daughter named Danae, however he wanted a son. So in search for an answer towards having a son, Acrisius went to the Oracle of Delphi. The Oracle said that Acrisius’ daughter, Danae would be the one to carry a baby boy, but this child would kill Acrisius. To avoid his own death, Acrisius created an underground chamber to lock his daughter in, therefore, she would be unable to conceive a child. Little did Acrisius know that Zeus would shape shift into golden rain and conceive a child with Danae. Naturally, Danae gave birth to Perseus. When she was let out of this underground chamber Danae met Polydectes. Polydectes was determined to make Danae his wife and that is exactly what happened. Perseus was unable to grant his mother and Polydectes a gift, so he was told to bring back Medusa’s head. Perseus was successful in retrieving Medusa’s head. On his journey back home he met a beautiful Goddess who was in distress. Perseus saved her from a horrific sea monster and they instantly fell in love and wanted to be joined together in holy matrimony. However, Andromeda’s uncle was no too pleased with this decision. He wanted Andromeda only for himself. Therefore he planned to murder Perseus but was unsuccessful since Perseus had the advantage of Medusa’s head. Perseus showed Andromeda’s uncle Medusa’s face and he then was turned to stone. When he returned home with the gift, he found out Polydectes was abusing his mother. Instead of giving him the present he used it against Polydectes and turned him to stone as well. Acrisius became aware of what Perseus was capable of doing so he decided to flee. Although that didn’t help as much as he believed it would. Perseus and his grandfather ran into each other at the Games Ceremony, in Larissa. When Perseus went to throw the discus it slipped from his grasp and clashed into his grandfather’s head, killing
The image that has been produced over time about the Goddess of Desire, the renowned Aphrodite, is one of a longhaired beauty, riding atop a scallop shell to bestow her beauteous wonders upon the mortal earth and Olympus. This is an icon of femininity and perfection, the most stunning of the already statuesque gods and goddesses. Doves and sparrows are her counterparts as is the sweet and playful Cupid in later Roman myths. However, this seemingly flawless picture of delicacy and sensual delights is far from perfect. In fact, when looked at a little more closely, the mien of Aphrodite becomes distorted, her beauty playing out to actually be her curse. In the next pages we will delve into the true nature of the Love Goddess, contemplate the source of her ‘deeds’ and then determine how high a pedestal she actually rests upon.
In this essay I will examine the war-of the-sexes taking place in The Eumenides, the final play of The Oresteia. The plot of The Eumenides pits Orestes and Apollo (representing the male gods and, to a certain extent, male values in general) against the ghost of Clytemnestra and the Furies (equally representative of female values.) Of more vital importance, however, is whether Athene sides with the males or females throughout the play.
George F. Kennan, an American political scientist and historian, once said, “Heroism is endurance for one moment more” (BrainyQuote). That means that perseverance even in the darkest hour is what qualifies someone as a true hero. With that in mind, it is difficult to refute the fact that Odysseus is a hero by both modern standards and a hero in Greek mythology. This Greek war leader, who spent 20 years away from home taking on challenge after challenge, surely pressed on through every moment in which his heroism was tested. Everything he did was for his men, the soldiers that at times questioned his leadership, only to find out that he was correct all along. While he had moments in which his pride overshadowed him, that was simply his confidence showing through, one of the very virtues that kept him alive. If he had not been a confident leader, perhaps his crew would have had trouble following his brilliant schemes. Odysseus was a clever man who always knew how to get out of a sticky situation. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly proves his worth as a hero by evading trouble with his cleverness, persevering through the trials he faces, and overall acting as a loyal shepherd to his flock of men.
The story of Jason and the Argonauts’ quest for the golden fleece and his ultimately ill fated love affair with Medea is told with stunning, sometimes humorously self-referential, deceptive simplicity. Right from the start, Argonautika pulls the audience in its prologue with chants of dramatic events, leaving the spectators with a desire for more. The heroes who make up the crew
Even though Zeus is the god of morality, law and order, he shows very little restraint for his carnal instincts. This weakness for his pure carnal needs is evidently shown in the myths about his extramarital affairs with mortals, nymphs and even other goddesses. One of his extramarital ...
Jason's uncle Pelias had usurped the throne of Iolchus (much as Penelope's suitors threatened to do), which Jason had a legitimate claim to. Pelias wanted to get rid of him, but dared not to kill him outright. So, he agreed to abdicate the throne if Jason would journey and get the golden fleece, which was at a temple in Colchis (on the Black Sea). Pelias expected the voyage to be fatal, for it had danger at every step. However, Jason called for and received an impressive roster of heroes to aid him on his journey.
Jason Grace is one of the protagonists of The Lost Hero. In the very beginning, Jason wakes up on a school bus, with amnesia. Later, he finds out that his memories have been stolen by Hera/Juno, an Olympian goddess. He is the son of Jupiter, Zeus’s Roman form. Jason can read and speak Latin, and uses the Roman names for the gods. He can fly, and can also produce lightning. Throughout the story, Jason can remember snippits from his past, but is getting increasingly aggravated with his loss of memory.
Jason confronted Pelias to regain his rightful place as king. Pelias saw that Jason had only
One of the best summarizes of Greeks’ gods attitude toward human is the claim of Aphrodite in Euripides’ Hippolytus that she will treat well the people who revere her power, but will “trip up” those who are proud towards her, and this pri...
King Midas and the Golden Touch, is one of the most famous myths in western lore. It details the story of one man’s greed and lust for wealth leading to his ultimate downfall. Initially written by Ovid, in his Metamorphoses published in 8 A.D, it has been adapted and analyzed even in modern times. Written in Dactylic Hexameter, as customary of great mythological works of the time period, the poem effectively served as a part of a guide to life for the ancient Romans. The morals the story teaches are still applicable in this day and age. As the story is intertwined with the rest of the epic, it is important to evaluate the myth in an educated and modified light. In King Midas and the Golden Touch, Ovid deftly illustrates the importance of restraint by detailing King Midas’ suffering from his greed.