Introduction to Mythology

Terms to Know Oral Tradition Epic Poem / Saga Religion collection of stories shared within a culture Epic Poem / Saga usually a central story of oral tradition may be very complex very changeable Religion beliefs and customs shared within a culture

Stories, stories.... folklore legend fable fairy-tale myth

Folklore told, not written focus: common people may contain magic, supernatural explain some element of shared culture

Legend told, not written focus: possibly a real person/event usually don’t contain magic, supernatural “folklore in historical moments” “tall-tales” are a version of these

Fable short story with magical elements talking / anthropomorphic animals tells a MORAL tale or shows a MORAL lesson

Fairy-Tale not many in Greek / Roman longer than fables, but similar typically N. European often contain witches, elves, dwarves, goblins, mythical beasts some versions Christianized longer than fables, but similar fantastical compared to legends, but similar

Myth legend like story dealing with gods, heroes, ancient ancestors explain a natural, cultural, psychological phenomenon often deal with origins of something

Sources... where do we get these stories? ancient texts Homer Hesiod Apollodorus Ovid Virgil are all these writers (and dozens more) consistent? can anything be learned through archaeology??

Greek Myth: Characteristics origins of universe Theogony : birth of the gods creation of the earth, animals, humans Age of the Gods “settling down” of the universe Olympians defeat the Titans Age of Gods / Mortals gods and men mix quite a bit birth of a lot of demigods Age of Heroes fewer god interactions

Part II Birth of the Universe

Theogony In the beginning, there was Chaos..... Gaia/Ge (Earth) Earth then divides herself Ouranos – Heaven Mountains Sea (produces many monsters) Tartaros (Darkness) Eros (Desire)

Theogony From Ouranos and Earth (Gaia) comes: the 12 Titans Hekatoncheires (who have 100 hands) Cyclopes (who are friendly engineers) One of the Titans (Cronos), tired of Father Ouranos’ rule....um.... castrates him

Making monsters mixing of all those early elements creates ‘unnatural’ creatures Crazy broods of monsters from the sea making enemies for Zeus Many ‘female’ monsters Typhaon/Typhoeus will return as the final opponent of Zeus youngest “son” of Gaia But the Titans are NOT monsters

Phorcys (son of the Sea and Gaia) and god of disasters at sea Z34.3A PHORKYS & KETOMuseum Collection:ﾊBardo Museum, Tunis, Tunisia 
Catalogue Number: TBA
Type: Mosaic
Context: -- 
Date: -- 
Period: Late RomanSUMMARYA sea god, probably Phorkys, carries a Nereid Nymphe across the sea. The red-skinned god is depicted as a merman, with coiling fish-tail and lobster-claw "feet" and horns. His arms and chest are decorated with spines. He holds a box (of salt?) in one hand and a flaming torch in the other, and is draped with a wreath of seaweed (?). The fish-tail in front of him belongs to the next figure in the train, the fish-tailed god Triton. The goddess riding on his back may be one of the Nereides or, perhaps his sea goddess wife Keto.
NB In another mosaic discovered at Antioch, a similar red-skinned sea-god with lobster-claw feet, holding a flaming torch, is labelled Phorkys in Greek lettering. He is here showing carrying a Nereid named Dynamene.ARTICLESPhorkys, Keto, Nereides http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/Z34.3A.html

Medusa (daughter of Phorcys and Ceto, killed by Perseus) http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/P23.1B.html

Hydra (killed by Herakles and Iolaus, offspring of Typhaon and Echidna))

Chimaera (defeated by Bellerophon, offspring of Typhaon and Echidna)

Kerberos (overcome by Herakles, offspring of Typhaon and Echidna)

Sphinx (riddle solved by Oedipus) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ1pZjb-YyA

Vase painting of Zeus and Typhaon Zeus had one final opponent before he was truly the undisputed master of the universe; the being known as Typhon (or Typhoeus ), a hideous dragon-serpent creature conceived through the mating of Gaea (Earth) and Tartarus (the Underworld). After a long and violent struggle, Zeus eventually defeated the fire & smoke-breathing monster. Their epic battle is seen here on a black-figure vase painting found in Etruria (n. Italy), but probably by a Greek artist, c. 525 B.C.

Birth of Zeus Kronos (head Titan, who had overthrown his father Ouranos) hears a prophesy that he will be overthrown by his son So he eats his kids Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter But he is tricked by Rhea, his wife-sister

"Cronus Devouring His Children" by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) what is this story? "Cronus Devouring His Children" by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) n a time when European artists were producing dignified portraits of ancient myths and classical figures, the Spaniard, Goya, was giving full vent to his interest in the fantastic and bizarre. Here he portrays Cronus--or, Saturn, as the Romans called him--with wild eyes, chewing up one of his children. The story first appears in Hesiod's Theogony . The face shows Cronus's anxious determination to put away another potential threat to his rule. (The blood on the trunk of the victim is a touch of realism at odds with the ancient account. No blood flowed in the veins of Greek gods, but an immortal substance called "ichor." Why do you suppose Goya added it?) This painting is exhibited in the Prado Museum of Madrid, the home of many works by court artists. Every age reveals itself in the way it portrays the ancient myths. What does Goya's portait of Cronus say about his view of the world? http://homepages.wmich.edu/~johnsorh/Myth/not.cronus.html

“Cronus devours his children,” Peter Paul Rubens (1577 – 1640) Rubens’ Cronus devourting his childern sparagmos

Attic Red-Figure Vase depiction of Rhea’s trick, ca 475 - 425 BC Rhea handing cronus a rock

Relief of Rhea’s trick

Omphalos stone from Delphi (Roman Copy) the stone Kronos swallowed?

Zeus, King of the Gods

Zeus: King of the Gods SKY GOD!!!!! Indo-European parallels (sky/day) Dyaus Pitar (ancient Hindu god) Iuppiter (Dyeus-pater) Tyr (Tiw) Mesopotamian storm-god Birth and accession to power Raised in Crete, had to hid from Daddy Cronos

Zeus, Authority, Justice “King of Gods and Men” Gives kings the right to rule Concerned with justice, order, law An ancient song about Zeus: “Yours is the rulership of Heaven You oversee the deeds of men Villainous and lawful; you care about The outrage and right-doing of beasts”

Some epithets Zeus Gamelios NB: Greek deities may have multiple epithets location attribute province ‘versions’ of the gods may be worshipped only in very specific places, or in specific contexts, or invoked for special reasons syncretism Zeus Olympios Zeus as he rules over the gods (on Mt. Olympos) Zeus Xenios Zeus as he watches out for travelers, hospitality, and the rules of xenia Zeus Polieos, Zeus Boulios Zeus as he watches over the workings of city Zeus Horkios Zeus as he protects oaths and punishes oath breakers Zeus Dikaios Zeus as he governs Justice Zeus Kataibates Zeus’ lightning bolts Zeus Gamelios Zeus as protector of marriage

Iconography primary symbols almost always bearded eagle thunderbolt scepter/staff throne oak almost always bearded he is the father god after all

Zeus with thunderbolt and eagle

Zeus with thunderbolt, staff K1.2 ZEUSMuseum Collection:ﾊAntikensammlungen, Munich, Germany 
Museum Catalogue Number:ﾊTBA
Beazley Archive Number:ﾊTBA
Ware:ﾊAttic Red Figure
Shape:ﾊAmphora, Panathenaic
Painter:ﾊ--
Date:ﾊca 480 BC
Period:ﾊLate Archaic / Early ClassicalSUMMARYZeus stands holding a lightning bolt in one hand and a royal sceptre in the other.ARTICLES

Zeus enthroned (staff, eagle, thunderbolt, throne) Section of a Greek vase paintings showing Zeus enthroned, with Hera seated next to him. Nike (with the wings) stands opposite them pouring from a pitcher into a libation bowl. Zeus holds his thunderbolt (note how different it is from our "thunderbolt" icon) and staff with eagle. The throne is elaborately decorated with little figures of Sirens -- monsters with women's heads and bird bodies -- and wrestlers.

Zeus and Hera enthroned Slide 1: Vase painting of Zeus and Hera seated (look at the LOWER image)

Statue of Zeus[?] (thunderbolt lost)