It’s All Greek to Me Classical Allusions. Pantheon of Greek Gods & Goddesses.
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Transcript of It’s All Greek to Me Classical Allusions. Pantheon of Greek Gods & Goddesses.
It’s All Greek to Me
Classical Allusions
Pantheon of Greek Gods & Goddesses
Gaia & Uranus
• Lays with Uranus to create the 12 TITANS: 1st rulers of the Universe
• Had other 6 children: 3 100-handed giants & 3 cyclops• Uranus refused to give up his power to the next
generation, so he pushed the Titans back into Gaia’s womb
Gaia (Gaea) = Mother Earth
Uranus = her son & ruler of sky/heaven
Cronos & Rhea
• Son and daughter of Gaia & Uranus
• Cronos kills Uranus by emasculating him
• Cronos is the same kind of tyrant his father was
• Cronos eats the children Rhea bears him
• After the birth of Zeus,Rhea tricks Cronos by giving him a rock to eat instead of the baby.
• She sends Zeus to be raised on Crete.
Other Titans: Prometheus
• Put in charge of creating all creatures to populate Earth
– He’s wise; name means “forethought”– Brother Epimetheus is scatterbrained;
name means “afterthought”
• Creates humans out of mud
• Gives man fire• Punishment – he’s bound
and carnivorous bird eats his liver out each day (regrows at night)– Heracles rescues him
Other Titans: Epimetheus & Pandora
• Epi’s job is to give creatures gifts (birds=wings; turtles=shells); he runs out of gifts before man
• Married to Pandora– Prometheus warns gullible Epi not
to accept gifts (including Pandora) from Zeus whom he doesn’t trust
– She’s a human; gods all gave her gifts including a box – her greatest gift is CURIOUSITY
– She’s too curious and opens the box allowing all evils out to plague and torment men
– Only hope remained in the box
Other Titans: Atlas
• Because Atlas is Cronos’ brother and a threat to the throne, Zeus sentences Atlas to hold up the world
Mount Olympus: Home of the Gods
Great Zeus!• Romans called him Jupiter• Greatest of all Olympians • Grandma Gaia helps him
gain power over father by giving Cronos potion to throw up all his children. Cronos’ 5 other children emerged fully grown.
• During his fight with Cronos, Zeus cuts off Cronos’ genitals just as Cronos did to Uranus (thus fulfilling the prophecy)
Zeus married his sister Hera
•They have a ROCKY relationship•Their children are a son Ares & a daughter Hebe•She gives birth to Hephaestus by herself •She’s goddess of marriage (ironic!)•Roman name Juno
Zeus’ Conquests
• Not faithful to Hera– Danae (as golden
shower) = baby Perseus
– Alcmena (as her hubby) = baby Heracles
DanaeAlcmene
Zeus’ Conquests cont’d•Leda (as swan) = 2 babies from eggs: Helen of Troy & Pollux [he’s also the twin of Castor – different daddies)•Europa (as a bull) = King Minos of Crete
Zeus’ Conquests cont’d
– Callisto (as another Olympian) = baby Arcas; Hera’s jealous, so Zeus turns her into a bear. The bear is killed by the gods so Zeus transforms her into the Constellation: Ursa Major; her son becomes Ursa Minor
Zeus’ Sister: Demeter
• Goddess of agriculture & nature / the harvest
• Doesn’t live on Mount Olympus
• Roman name: Ceres (the root word for cereal)
• Mother of Persephone
Zeus’ Sister: Hestia
- Goddess of the hearth (home fire) • Can’t leave the home
so she doesn’t figure in any stories
– Virgin– Roman name: Vesta; her
priestesses were called Vestal Virgins
Zeus’ Brother: Poseidon
•God of the Sea, horses and earthquakes;
•Romans called him Neptune
Zeus’ Brother: Hades
• God of the Underworld• Romans called him Pluto• Married to Persephone (Roman = Proserpine)
Demeter’s daughter
Hades and Persephone• He kidnapped her. After
Demeter refuses to work for a year, Zeus intervenes and makes Hades return Persephone to her mother.
• Before Persephone leaves, Hades gives her a pomegranate (a special food to the dead); She eats 4-6 seeds. Because of that she was doomed to return to Hades.
• He mother mourns during Persephone’s absence which causes winter.
Hades: Ya Don’t Wanna Go There
Hades: Ya Don’t Wanna Go There
Cereberus
Charon the Ferryman on the River Styx
Entrance to Hades
Gods: The Next Generation
• Hephaestus– Son of Hera– Ugly, lame– Married to Aphrodite– Makes armor and
weapons (esp. Zeus’ thunderbolts)
• Worked under a volcano
– Peaceful, kind– Roman name: Vulcan
Gods: The Next Generation• Ares
– God of War – esp. destructive forces
• As opposed to Athena, a war goddess who used war for defense
– Son of Zeus & Hera• Who don’t like him
much
– Unpleasant– Has relationship with
Aphrodite• Perhaps because both
represent wild impulses
– Roman name: Mars
Gods: The Next Generation• Hermes• Son of Zeus & Maia (Atlas’
daughter)
– God of • Commerce & Trade,• Athletes,• Thieves• Children• Shepherds & travelers• Fertility & prosperity
– Go-between for Zeus• For negotiations
– Esp. the female kind
– Carried the snake entwined staff (now doctors’ symbol)
– Roman name: Mercury
Gods: The Next Generation
• Dionysis– God of wine & vegetation
(parties . . .)– Son of Zeus & Semele– Roman name: Bacchus– Festivals in his honor became
the beginning of drama– Had a “posse”
• Maenads = female worshippers• Satyrs = (aka fauns) ½ man, ½
goat• As well as other animals
Gods: The Next Generation• Son of Zeus & Leto
(another of his conquests)
• Has a twin sister, Artemis
• Drives his chariot through the sky bringing the sun
• God over music, archery, healing (medicine), light and truth (hence his oracle at Delphi)
• Sometimes called Phoebus Apollo (Phoebus means radiant)
Apollo
Gods: The Next Generation
• Sons of Poseidon (Proteus is older)
• Mermen
Proteus & Triton
Goddesses: The Next Generation
Aphrodite
•Springs fully formed from the sea from Uranus’ seed after Cronos cut off his genitals
•Roman name: Venus
•Sexy femme fatale, she stands for all the good and bad aspects of women
•Had an affair with Ares while married to Hephaestus (seems to love Ares)
•This produced 3 sons: Eros (love); Deimus (fear); Phobus (panic)
•Popular goddess: Goddess of sex & reproduction, love
Sidebar:Eros vs Cupid
• The Greeks saw Eros as an malevolent, dangerous young man– He loved making mischief and playing tricks by making them fall
in love suddenly, esp. with inappropriate people
• The Romans saw Cupid as a cute pudgy baby
Goddesses: The Next Generation• Athena
– Sprung from Zeus’ head (he had a headache)
fully formed– Goddess of War (see
Ares)
– Roman name: Minerva
– Virgin– Known for her
wisdom & intelligence
– Powerful, impressive & too scary to be lusted after
Goddesses: The Next Generation
• Artemis– Apollo’s twin– Goddess of the
Hunt, loved woods and wild animals, the moon
– Roman name: Diana
– Virgin