The Mythological Mind
Problem! What guarantees the truth of a poem? Who establishes the truth of these conducts and customs? Where did they come from?
The Muses The Gods provide the Truth of the Poem sung by the Minstrels! There were 2 great Poets in Ancient Greece: Homer and Hesiod, Their poems should be learnt by heart and through these poems people transmitted their tradition, customs and conducts, or ways of acting.
The Muses Both Homer and Hesiod start their poems by praising the Muses!
The Muses The word Museum comes from the Muses! Zeus bewildered Mnemosyne (the Goddess of Memory) and slept with her for nine consecutive nights. The result of their encounter was the Nine Muses. They were raised by Apollo (God of Prophecy and Truth, Healing and Disease, Music and Poetry – also identified with the Sun).
The Muses The Muses are the Goddesses that inspire the poets, artists and philosophers. The Muses knew what had happened in the past, what was happening in the present and what would happen in the future. The Muses would insufflate or inspire the poets: they would tell them what had, was and would happen, so the Poet could, in his turn, tell the others in the form of an art.
The Nine Muses 1. Clio: The Muse Clio of History. Represented with a clarion in the right arm and a book in the left hand.
The Nine Muses 2. Euterpe: the Muse of Music and Lyric Poetry. She was always depicted holding a flute, while many instruments were always around her.
The Nine Muses 3. Thalia: the Muse of Comedy; Depicted holding a theatrical, comedy mask.
The Nine Muses 5. Terpsichore: the Muse of Dance; depicted wearing laurels on her head, holding a harp.
The Nine Muses 4. Melpomene: the Muse of Tragedy; depicted holding a tragedy mask and usually bearing a bat.
The Nine Muses 6. Erato: the Muse of Love Poetry – as well as Wedding. Depicted holding a lyre, a bow and arrows.
The Nine Muses 7. Polymnia: the Muse of Divine Poetry. Depicted looking up to the sky, holding a lyre.
The Nine Muses 8. Ourania: the Muse of Astronomy. She was always depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere and a compass.
The Nine Muses 9. Calliope: the Muse Calliope of Epic Poetry. According to the myth, Homer asks Calliope to inspire him while writing the Iliad and the Odyssey; thus, Calliope is depicted holding laurels in one hand and the two Homeric poems in the other hand.
The Iliad The Poem starts in the middle of the story, i.e.: in the middle of the Trojan War. When Achilles and Agamemnon fight over Briseis – the spoil of the Greeks looting.
The Iliad How it all started Wedding of Peleus (king of Phthia) and Thetis (Goddess of Water), Achilles’ mother
Athena, Hera and Aphrodite were talking The Iliad Athena, Hera and Aphrodite were talking Kallisti = the most Beatiful; fairest The Golden Apple of Discord
The Iliad Where did the Golden Apple come from? – Eris, the Goddess of chaos, strife, and discord, was not invited to the party – So she wanted to cause discord among the guests
The Iliad Who was the fairest, most beautiful Goddess?
The Iliad Zeus, the ruler of the Olympus, declined this ungrateful task, and asked Paris, a prince of Troy, to decide Zeus, King of Gods Paris, prince of Troy
The Iliad Hera promised him all of Asia and great wealth if he would choose her
The Iliad Athena promised to make Paris the most handsome and wise man in the world and also invincibility in all battles
The Iliad Aphrodite promised him Helen (the wife of Menalaos King of Sparta, Agamemnon’s brother, the most beautiful mortal woman in the world), as his wife
The Iliad
The Iliad Paris chooses Aphrodite as the most beautiful, and then Helen falls in love for him and they ran away together to get married
The Iliad Menelaos gets furious Agamemnon finds an excuse to invade Troy The Greeks unite to rescue Helen
Examples of Pedagogical Processes in the Iliad Formula for embarking a ship As for now a black ship let us draw down to the great salt sea And therein oarsmen let us advisedly gather and thereupon a hecatomb Let us set and upon the deck Chryseis of fair cheeks Let us embark. And one man as captain, a man of counsel, there must be. […] The son of Atreus a swift ship to the salt sea drew down And therein oarsmen he selected twenty and thereupon a hecatomb He embarked for the god and on the deck Chryseis of the fair cheeks He set having brought her. And therein a captain went, even Odysseus of many counsels.
Examples of Pedagogical Processes in the Iliad