Mythological Allusions

The TitansGods and GoddessesHeroes, Monsters and Men

The Titans Important figures:1. Cronus (Saturn)*

1. Father of the Olympians, cruel tyrant, overthrown and castrated by his son, spends eternity buried deep beneath the earth

2. Ocean1. His blue-green body wraps itself about the earth, left alone in the

overthrow3. Atlas-

1. Punished by Zeus to forever bear the earth upon his back4. Prometheus-

1. Sometimes called creator of man. Brought man fire from the sun. Punished by Zeus for loving man too much. As punishment he is chained for ever to a remote cliff face (Caucasus) never to look upon his beloved creation again

* Where important – Greek (Latin)

The Twelve Olympians

Zeus (Jupiter) Poseidon (Neptune) Hades (Pluto) Hestia (Vesta) Hera (Juno) Ares (Mars)

The Gods:

Appollo Aphrodite (Venus) Athena (Minerva) Hermes (Mercury) Artemis (Diana) Hephaestus

(Vulcan)

Zeus

Led the fight against his father and the other Titans

God of the sky and weather (drew lots against his brothers for it). Ruler of Olympus, the ethereal home of the gods.

Notorious womanizer and therefore father to many, many gods and heroes

Not omniscient, and like all Greek and Roman deities, flawed and deceivable

His symbols are the lightning bolt, the breast plate and the oak tree.

Poseidon

God of the sea, the horse and the bringer of earthquakes

His symbol is the trident. He shakes it, the earth shakes us.

Triton is the trumpeter of the sea (his horn a great conch shell)

Hades

God of the Underworld. He marries Persephone, whom he

dragged to the underworld to become queen of the dead.

“Hades” is also the name for the Underworld of the dead which is separated into regions by Virgil:

The Underworld (Hades)

Acheron River (aptly named the River of Woe) meets with the Cocytus River (the River of Lamentation) and the underworld springs from their meeting.

Charon is the boatman the ferries the souls across. Cerberus (a giant three-headed dog) guards its

gates allowing souls only to enter. Three other rivers separate Hades: The Styx, The

Lethe and the Phlegethon. Evil souls are punished to everlasting torment by

the Furies where heroes and good men are sent to Elysian Fields.

Famous Sinners

Ixion – Sinned by insulting Hera

Sisyphus – Suspected Zeus in an abduction of a maiden

Tantalus – Killed and boiled his son Pelops and then attempted to feed him to the gods

Punished by being bound to a wheel that turns forever

Punished by being forced to eternally push a heavy stone up a hill, only to watch it roll down again and again.

Tortured by constant hunger and thirst, never to have either sated.

Hestia

Zeus’s sister and a virgin goddess. Has no distinction and plays very little

part in myths, though sometimes called the Goddess of the Hearth (home)

Hera

Wife of Zeus (also his sister!) Goddess and protector of marriage Often seen as vicious and spiteful, she

certainly is one to punish the women with whom Zeus has his affairs.

Ares

God of war, and warfare Son of Zeus and Hera Not very well-liked His symbols are the sword and shield,

the vulture and, oddly, the dog.

Appollo

Son of Zeus and Leto Musician-god, healer-god, archer-god, sun-

god… Brings man music and the art of healing. Drives a fiery chariot across the sky each day His oracle at Delphi is perhaps the most well

known of the oracles, linking gods and men in an open conversation.

His symbols are the bow and arrow and the lyre

Aphrodite

Goddess of love and beauty Said to have sprung from the foam of the sea Without her there is no beauty or joy and

therefore she is one of the most important symbols to poets and painters

She is both enticing and dangerous Marries Hephaestus the ugly god of the forge Gives birth to many, but importantly to Eros, God

of love. Drives a chariot drawn by swans

Athena

Daughter of Zeus, having sprung full grown, and in full armor, from his head

Goddess of war, but also of civility. Is another virgin goddess

Zeus’s favorite, she carries his thunderbolt Athens is her city Her symbols are armor, the olive tree, and the

owl.

Hermes

Messenger of the gods. Also the smartest and the most sneaky

God of traders and markets, but also the thieves who steal from them

As a messenger, he appears more often in tales than any other god.

His symbols are the winged sandals and helmet he almost always wears.

Artemis

Twin sister of Apollo The third virgin goddess of the

Olympians, she is the protector of chastity.

She is also the goddess of the hunt. She does her hunting by the moonlight, therefore Apollo-sun, Artemis-moon.

Hephaestus

Ugly, idiotic, but kind-hearted god of the forge (create, shape using heat)

A strange husband to Aphrodite Also the god of fire Said to live under volcanoes and cause

eruptions

Lesser Gods of Olympus Iris – Goddess of the rainbow and (in the Iliad) the

messenger of the gods The 3 Graces – Either seen to embody Splendor, Mirth

and Good Cheer; or Beauty, Chastity and Voluptuousness.

The 9 Muses – Clio (History), Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy) Terpsichore (dance), Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (songs of the gods), Euterpe (Lyric Poetry). They were thought to be the source of all creative epiphany, so they are often invoked at the beginning of a work of poetry. The muses live in Parnassus.

Nemesis – ugly goddess of righteous anger

The Lesser Gods of Earth Demeter (Ceres) – Goddess of corn Dionysus (Bacchus) – God of the vine, Overseer of the

Bacchanal, a festival of drinking and drama. Pan – mischievous, merry god of nature, plays upon his pipes,

is usually depicted with horns and lower body of a goat. Janus – Two faced god of changes, after whom January is

named. Castor and Pollux – Sons of Zeus, they become a symbol for

perfect brotherly love. The Gorgons – Dragon-like immortals whose look turned men

to stone. The Graiae – three sisters who share one eye between them. Sirens – their beautiful voices lured sailors to their deaths. The Centaurs – Half-man, half-horse. Generally viewed as

savage creatures, though one Chiron, was wise and helpful. Aurora – Female representation of Dawn Morpheus – a kind of dream god

Creation Myths Woman – created by Zeus as a punishment to man, her name

was Pandora. The box – Filled with harmful things placed there by the gods,

Pandora’s curiosity wins over and all bad earthly elements (plague, mischief, sorrow) were released. Hope was all that remained.

Echo and Narcissus – Through pride, these two “lovers” create the Narcissus flower and the Echo.

Hyacinth – Killed by Apollo by a discus Adonis – killed by a boar, his blood creates the flower Arachne – Challenges Minerva to a weave-off. Doesn’t quite

lose but is smacked around anyway. Hangs herself in shame, but Minerva, in pity, turns her into a spider, giving her back her weaving ability.

Love Myths

Cupid and Psyche Pyramus and Thisbe Orpheus and Euridice Pygmalion and Galatea Endymion Daphne

The Great Heroes Jason

First of the journeying heroes Traveled on the great ship the Argo, built by the

great shipwright Argus, in search of the Golden Fleece

Jason comes back to Greece to claim his rightful place as King from his evil cousin, Pelias

Pelias agrees to give Jason the throne if he brings the Golden Fleece

Several great heroes offered to accompany Jason: Hercules, Peleus (Achilles’ father), Cator and Pollux, Orpheus and others.

The Trials of the Argonauts (Heroes)

Lemnos and its fierce women. Hercules abandons them to search for

Hylas The battle of the Harpies (stinky bird-

snakes) The Simplegades (moving rocks) The Amazons (fierce women again)

Medea Hera, who loved and protected Jason, asked for the help of

Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love helps by making Medea, Daughter of the

King who had the Fleece, Fall in love with Jason. She was a powerful worker of magic, though a bit wacky.

With Medea’s help the Argonauts acquire the Fleece and escape Colchis

On the return they must face Scylla and Charybdus, and the last of the bronzed men Talus (Medea saves them again here).

Arriving in Greece, Pelias refuses to make good on his offer, and Medea punishes him severely for it.

After all of this, Jason later betrays Medea. They go to Corinth and have two sons. In order to become more powerful, he marries to the princess of Corinth. Big mistake. She kills his bride with a poisoned garment, and before Jason can destroy her, she kills their two sons as well. A dragon-drawn chariot carries her away to safety.

Other Pre-Trojan Heroes Perseus Bellerophon and Pegasus Daedalus and Icarus Atalanta Theseus Hercules

Perseus Danae and Zeus are his parents Fated to destroy his grandfather Set to sea in a chest in the hopes he and his mother die.

They don’t. As a wedding gift, promises his mother’s suitor the head of

Medusa, a gorgon. Gets the following items: A special sword, Athena’s

mirrored shield, winged sandals, a satchel that could carry anything, and a cap that would make a man invisible.

Defeats Medusa and takes the head. Saves Andromeda from the sea-serpent Must kill his mother’s suitor with the gorgon’s head Returns to Greece to reconcile with grandfather, but cannot

find Accidentally kills him with a discuss throw to the head

Bellerophon Bellerophon wanted Pegasus, a great flying horse

that sprung from the blood of Medusa Is told to sleep at the alter of Athena She gives him a charm Pegasus becomes his Is later asked to slay the Chimaera (lion-head, goat-

body, serpent tail) Simple if you fly above and shoot it with arrows Defeats the Amazons in the same way Gets too proud and tries to fly to Olympus but

Pegasus won’t allow it. Dies alone and miserable

Daedalus and Icarus Deadalus was imprisoned by Minos in

the Labyrinth, a structure he created himself, with Icarus, his son

Makes wings for his son and him to escape.

Warns Icarus to stay the middle course Icarus, enchanted by the flight sails high

into the sky His wings melt and he falls to his death

Atalanta Abandoned for being female, Atalanta is raised

by a she-bear. Was the only female to hunt the Calydonian

boar, and was the first to strike it, though Meleager killed it.

Agrees to marry any man who can beat her in a foot-race, knowing there is no one alive faster than she.

She is defeated by a guy who throws golden apples to her, which divert her attention.

She is later turned into a lion for angering a god (Zeus or Aphrodite, depending on the version)

Theseus Son of Aegeus, King of Athens. Raised by his mother Lifting the stone – a test of manliness Arrives in Greece and is nearly poisoned by his father at the

prompting of Medea Minos demanded 14 youths to be sacrificed every nine

years to the Minotaur The White Sail replaces the black to prove he had won Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, falls instantly in love with

Theseus Uses a ball of thread to weave through the Labyrinth and

kills the minotaur with his bare hands! On the return voyage, Ariadne is left on the island of Naxos. In a moment of thoughtlessness, the black sails are left up.

Aegeus, thinking his son dead, kills himself. Theseus, uninterested in ruling, creates the world’s first

commonwealth (self governed territory).

Hercules Embodiment of Grecian attributes:

strength, courage, brutality, pride (intellect purposely omitted)…

Teiresias, blind-seer, suggests “He will be the hero of all mankind.”

Has three sons with Megara, but in a rage, murders them all.

In order to be purified he goes to King Eurystheus who gives him labors.

The Labors of Hercules (because he killed his children)

Kill the Nimean Lion Kill the Hydra (Multi-headed creature) Capture a stag with golden horns Capture the great boar Cerynitia Clean the Augean Stables in a day Drive away the Stymphalian Birds Fetch the Great bull from Minos Get the Man-eating horses of Diomedes Bring the Girdle of Hippolyta, the Amazon Queen Bring Geryon’s cattle Get the Golden Apples of Hesperides, son of Atlas, Bring Cerberus up from Hades

Lesser Heroes Orion – Great hunter. Is blinded for a while but his

sight is returned. The Danaids – 50 women whom did not want to

marry their cousins but were forced to…so they killed them!

Midas – Wanted endless wealth so wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. It did.

Callisto – Cursed. Gives birth to a son. Hera turns her into a bear and then, when the son is grown, shows the son the bear. Before the boy can unknowingly kill his mother, Zeus brings her to Heaven. She becomes the Big Bear (now, The Big Dipper).

The house of Atreus Cursed thanks to Tantalus’ sin (killed mother) Prominent Members:

Niobe-Had seven sons and seven daughters, but pride, her weakness, caused her to claim she was better than the greatest gods. Apollo and Artemis killed all of her children in front of her for this claim. Frozen with grief, she was turned to stone, though her tears continued to run.

Atreus and Thyestes - Due to infidelity, Atreus had his brother’s two sons cooked up and served them to their father Thyestes.

The house of Atreus Cont. Agamemnon’s family:

Iphigenia – Killed by Agamemnon so that the winds on the way to Troy would be favorable.

Clytemnestra – To avenge the death of her daughter, she and her lover, Aegisthus, murder Agamemnon while he feasted. They also murder Cassandra who had been brought back from Troy.

Orestes and Electra – revenge the death of Agamemnon. Electra waits for her brother’s return from exile. Orestes comes back, kills Aegisthus, and what’s worse, kills his mother as well. Through guilt, both are driven to insanity.

The Royal House of Thebes Founded by Cadmus, brother of Europa Laius, his great-grandson, marries Jocasta

and begets a son Fearing a prophecy, he has his son bound by

the foot and left on a mountain to die. The son is raised in Corinth and called

Oedipus (swollen foot) As a result of this offence, Thebes is beset by

the Sphinx, a winged lion-woman. Fearing a prophesy that he will kill his father

and marry his mother Oedipus flees Corinth and walks right into his fate.

Name that sculpture!!!

Oedipus On his way he meets a man (Laius) who challenges

him. Oedipus kills him and fulfills the first part of his prophesy.

He arrives in Thebes and defeats the Sphinx by answering its riddle.

He is awarded the prize of the Queen’s hand in marriage and is made King of Thebes, fulfilling the second prophesy. They have four children together: Antigone, Isthmene, Polyneices and Eteocles.

Through a kind of Detective story, all of this terrible news is made clear to Oedipus, though Teiresias, the blind seer, refuses to help. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus tears out his eyes.

Antigone After, Creon is made King. He exiles Oedipus with

the help of Oedipus’ sons. Eteocles takes over and exiles his brother.

Polyneices raises an army to take Thebes by force. Creon is told by Teiresias that if his son Menoeceus

dies, Thebes would be saved. Creon refuses to allow this, but Menoeceus sacrifices himself anyway.

Polyneices and Eteocles kill each other. Creon commands that Eteocles be buried honorably, but his brother is to be left in the fields. Anyone who buries him would be put to death.

Atigone chooses to bury him anyway, supplanting the laws of men for the divine laws. She is sent to death.