Greek mythology plays a consequential part in the world today because myths help explain the reasons behind things (change things) in the world. There are many gods, goddess, creatures, and mortals that are involved in Greek mythology. The Earth would not be the same without Mother Earth, also known as the Greek goddess Demeter. Demeter plays a significant part in the world by being the goddess of farming and harvesting; without her, the world would not be able to farm or have seasons, such as winter and spring. The goddess Demeter is a beautiful woman that often stuns people with her elegant looks. She has long blonde hair that reaches about her lower back and has a crown that rest on her head. Demeter either wears a regular crown or a …show more content…
The goddess is a soothing female who cares a lot about plants, woman especially mothers, and children. Demeter often protected women and children to make sure they were alright. “...describes her as ‘bounteous Demeter’, ‘well-garlanded’, ‘hallowed’...” (Cartwright). She compared the Earth and a woman's womb because they care after seeds until the seeds are born. Since Demeter is a caring woman she blessed children and marriages to make sure they stay pure. Mother Earth is a compassionate woman who respects women, children, the Earth, and marriages …show more content…
Zeus is the father of her only daughter who is known as Persephone. One day while collecting flowers Persephone was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld. “Demeter was so angry that she withdrew herself in loneliness, and the earth ceased to be fertile” (Hutchinson Encyclopedia). Zeus sent down Hermes to get Persephone back, but before she left Hades made her eat a pomegranate. The pomegranate has made Persephone stay in the underworld forever for one third of the year. When Persephone is away from her mother plants do not grow, but when she is with her mother plants start to grow again. This myth is the reason why the Earth has seasons such as winter, fall, spring and
Demeter the daughter of Cronus and Rhea was the goddess of harvest and fertility. The poet, Edith Hamilton, reveals the sorrow of a mother who has lost a child in the mythical "Demeter." The speaker laments on the consequences the natural cycles will receive due to this suffering Demeter is experiencing. Edith uses imagery of dry land and loss to express the agony a mother endures when losing a child. Furthermore, the speaker uses allusion to explain the consequences the society is suffering.
The goddesses Played a vital role in Greek society for they were responsible for many aspects of Greek. life, i.e., a life of a child. 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. The second level of women used in Greek mythology is that of the human.
Hades, the God of the Underworld and Death, also the God of the Riches. Most of Hades and his four siblings life was spent in the stomachs of Cronus his father. Cronus was the Titan God of time and the ages. He was afraid if he had not eaten his children he would be overthrown by one of his sons. If not for Zeus later on Forcing the Cronus to disgorge them Hades would not have had a life at all. Together Zeus and Hades Drove the Titan Gods from the heaven down to a pit and locked them away. Hades gaining control of the Underworld realized he was missing something. A wife, he demanded for his brother Zeus to give away one of his daughters to him. Zeus chose Persephone now the Goddess and queen of the Underworld. Although this did not happen so easily, Zeus knowing his daughter would not accept to marry such a man like Hades he quickly had his own daughter abducted just to please the God of the underworld, but her mother Demeter the Goddess of Agriculture, grain and bread was not happy about this and demanded her daughter back. When she was not given her daughter she put a great dearth upon the earth until she was handed back her child. Hades did send her back from the Underworld only because she had tasted the pomegranate seed and had to return to him a portion of each year. People thought of Hades to be a regal god who was dark haired and held an bird-tipped sceptre ("HADES : Greek King of the Underworld, God of the Dead ; mythology ; pictures : HADES, PLUTO”).
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 of 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.
In Euripides' Medea, the protagonist abandoned the gender roles of ancient Greek society. Medea defied perceptions of gender by exhibiting both "male" and "female" tendencies. She was able to detach herself from her "womanly" emotions at times and perform acts that society did not see women capable of doing. However, Medea did not fully abandon her role as a woman and did express many female emotions throughout the play.
‘Demeter’ is a poem about the story of Demeter. "Demeter was the goddess of harvest and Persephone was the goddess of springtime. Hades, the lord of the underworld, kidnapped Persephone. Hades fell in love with Persephone and asked Zeus to help him kidnap her so she could become his bride. The crops started to wilt and humans couldn't grow crops anymore. However Zeus told Hermes to bring back Persephone and to make sure she didn't eat any food from the Underworld. Hermes fetched Persephone. But before she left, Hades convinced her to eat 6 pomegranate seeds. Hermes made a compromise and said Persephone had to stay in the Underworld as Hades wife for six months. That's why there are seasons. In the fall and winter, Persephone goes down into the Underworld and Demeter mourns. In the summer and spring, she comes back and Demeter rejoices. " (1)
Demeter shows the theme of isolation when she disguises herself as an old woman of no childbearing and lives among the mortals, shunning herself from the gods and turning her grief into anger against Zeus. So when she arrives at Elusis, she take upon the duty of raising the child of Keleus and Meraneria, Demophoön. The part of the myth show Demeter's anger when she attempts to make Demophoön into a god. It symbolizes the fact the she is replacing a female child with a males, meaning...
Being described as “like four goddesses” while Demeter herself is divine and yet, unrecognisable as such seems to hark back to their youth and beauty as a divine gift, while Demeter, in her grief, appears to lose divine status (Hymn to Demeter,108, 94-95, 108). Her grief is almost transformative, the lines “men nor… women recognised her when they looked” characterises grief as something that has made Demeter look human (Hymn to Demeter, 94-95). In travelling from Mount Olympus to earth, an action fuelled by her grief, she becomes a metaphor for a step-down in status from deity to mortal (Hymn to Demeter, 92-93). This reflects the implications of women losing their status as mothers and membership to a family in ancient Greece, when they either cannot bear children, or lose their children.
Mortal females cause struggles among men and are portrayed as wicked in Greek Mythology. In the story of How the World and Mankind Were Created, the Father of Men and of the Gods, Zeus, swears to get revenge upon mankind because of the poor sacrifices made to the altars. Therefore, he “[makes] a great evil for men, a sweet and lovely thing to look upon… they [call] her Pandora… the first woman… who are an evil to men, with a nature to do evil… is the source of all misfortu...
Time Period Worshipped: The earliest representation of Demeter was on the Linear B tablets dating from 1400-1200 BC (Britannica). Demeter was worshiped, as well as many other Greek gods and goddesses, from 2000-1000 BC until the rise of Christianity basically wiped them out. Most temples were converted to chapels or destroyed. Visual Appearances: The encyclopedia of Britannica describes her to look similar to Hera, but more matronly. She is also described to have golden hair and ears made of grain (Cartwright).
Persephone, Hades’ wife, is the goddess of spring and the Queen of the underworld. She resides in the underworld for only six months of the year due to Hades kidnapping her. She was told not to eat anything for then she would have to remain in the underworld. While in the underworld, Persephone consumed six pomegranate seeds. Her mother Demeter, goddess of agriculture, threw a fit. Demeter complained to her brother Zeus. To be fair, Zeus stated that Persephone would have to remain in the underworld one month per seed each year. So, Persephone now resides in the underworld six months out of every year.
Aphrodite, is the goddess of love, beauty and romance. She is Piper’s mother. Her Roman aspect is Venus. Her animal symbols are the Dolphin, swan, dove… Her plant symbols are apples, roses, quince…
In Greek Mythology, there are several characters involved. Some are minor characters while others are great heroes. Daphne is among these minor characters. She is a Naiad nymph--nymphs often associated with fountains, wells, springs, and other freshwater bodies. She is said to be the daughter of a river god and plays an ultimately small role in Greek mythology. Her existence, however, explains the appearance of the Laurel Tree. Stories like this were very important to the Greeks because they gave the Greeks an explanation for things that happened and came about. These stories were also used to explain religious rituals and related events.
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.