The Hellenic Saga - University of Albertaegarvin/assets/10.-hellenic.pdf · The Hellenic Saga. Gaia...

The Hellenic Saga

Gaia (Earth)

Uranus (Heaven)

Atlas Menoetius Prometheus Epimetheus = Pandora

Iapetus (Titan) = Clymene

Oceanus = Tethys

Themis

Prometheus

• “Prometheus made humans out of earth and water, and he also gave them fire…” (Apollodorus Library 1.7.1)

• … “and scatter-brained Epimetheus from the first was a mischief to men who eat bread; for it was he who first took of Zeus the woman, the maiden whom he had formed” (Hesiod Theogonyca. 509)

Prometheus and Zeus

• Zeus concealed the secret of life• Trick of the meat and fat• Zeus concealed fire• Prometheus stole it and gave it to man

• Freidrich H. Fuger, 1751 - 1818

• Zeus ordered the creation of Pandora• Zeus chained Prometheus to a mountain

• The accounts here are many and confused

Maxfield ParishPrometheus1919

Prometheus ChainedDirck van Baburen1594 - 1624

PrometheusNicolas-Sébastien Adam1705 - 1778

Frankenstein:The Modern Prometheus

• Novel by Mary Shelly• First published in 1818.• The first true Science Fiction novel• Victor Frankenstein is Prometheus

• As with the story of Prometheus, the novel asks about cause and effect, and about responsibility.

• Is man accountable for his creations?• Is God?• Are there moral, ethical constraints on man’s creative urges?

Mary Shelly

• “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world” (Introduction to the 1831 edition)

Did I request thee, from my clayTo mould me man? Did I solicit theeFrom darkness to promote me?

John Milton, Paradise Lost 10. 743 – 45.

Printed on the inside cover of the 1818 edition.

PandoraWilliam Waterhouse1896

Pandora

• The name means “all gifts”• Hephaestus made Pandora from earth and water in the shape of

the goddesses• Aphrodite gave her grace• Athena gave her skill• Hermes gave her deceit and shamelessness.• Each god gave her an evil, all in one jar

Pandora and Epimetheus

• Zeus gave Pandora to Epimetheus• Pandora opened her gift-jar and the evils that make human

existence difficult were released on the world• Only Hope remained in the jar.

• Is it the point that Hope is one of the things that plague mankind, and Zeus withheld it!?

• Pandora’s ‘Box’ is a mistranslation by Erasmus

Pandora

Deucalion

• Son of Prometheus• Married Pyrrha• Zeus decided to destroy humanity with a flood• Prometheus warned Deucalion, he and Pyrrha escaped in a

wooden chest• Stones of Deucalion

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (1609 – 1664)

Autochthony‘Born of the Earth’

Deucalion = Pyrrha

Hellen Amphictyon Protogeneia = Zeus

Dorus Xuthus Aeolus

• The descendants of Hellen are the Hellenes, the Greeks

• His sons divided Greece• Amphictyon became king of Athens

• We will return to him later…

Dorus

Xuthus

Aeolus

Pelasgians Pelasgians

Greek Migrations

• Middle Helladic• 1900 to 1600 BC• First ‘Greek’ Speakers

• Mycenaean (Late Helladic)• 1600 to 1200 BC• The Warrior Elite of our Myth Cycles

• Dorian• 1200 BC • The Heraclidae

The sons of Aolus

Hellen = Orseis

Dorus Aeolus = Enarete Xuthus

Perieres

Perimede

CretheusSisyphusAthamas Salmoneus Deion Magnes

Canace AlcyonePisidice Calyce

The Family of AthamasAthamas, son of Aeolus, son of Hellen

Hellen = Orseis


Perieres

Perimede



• Athamas ruled Boeotia• Married the nymph Nephele• Married Ino second

Nephele = Athamas = Ino

Phrixus Helle

Cadmus = Harmonia

Boeotia

Nephele

• A cloud nymph• Ino, jealous of her step-children

• Tricked the women into spoiling the seed wheat• Tricked the Pythia, Athamas to sacrifice his son, Phrixus

• Nephele• Was given a ram with golden fleece by Hermes• The ram carried her children to Colchis• Helle fell of and drowned: Hellespont

The Hellespont

Phrixus trying to save HelleRoman wall mural from Pompeii

Ino (Leucothea)

• Ino, Athamas and Dionysus:• Hermes brought the baby Dionysus to Ino• Hera found out… drove Ino and Athamas mad• When Dionysus grew up, Ino became a Maenad• Athamas tried to kill Ino, who leapt into the sea• Ino became a goddess on her death• Or• She was carried by a dolphin to Corinth

The Family of Sisyphus

Hellen = Orseis


Perieres

Perimede



• Sisyphus• Founder of Corinth• Promoted navigation and trade• Various traditions, all negative• Attempts to cheat death?• Betrayed Zeus’ abduction of Aegina• Condemned to role a stone up a hill in Hades

Sisyphus = Merope

Glaucus

The Pleiades

• The sisters committed mass suicide• For their sacrifice, they were placed amongst the stars• Visible in Greece from May to November• Signal the farming and sailing seasons

Alcyone Merope Celaeno Electra

Sterope Taygete Maia

Atlas = Pleione

= Zeus

Hermes

The Pleiades

Pleiades

• Glaucus• Son of Sisyphus and Merope• Liked racing his chariot team• Angered Aphrodite• His team crashed and he was killed

Glaucus = Eurymede

Bellerophon Deliades

Bellerophon(tes)

• Accidentally killed his brother• Fled to Proetus, king of Tiryns• Anteia (Stheneboea)

• Wife of Proetus• Bellerophon refused her advances so she accused him

• Bellerophon sent to Lycia

Bellerophon• Iobates, king of Lycia sent Bellerophon on suicide

missions:• Kill the Chimaera• Bellerophon rode Pegasus over the beast and shot him with

arrows• Kill the Amazons• Overcame an ambush

• Iobates gave Bellerophon his daughter and his kingdom

Chimaera

The Family of Salmoneus

Hellen = Orseis


Perieres

Perimede



• Pelias• Became king of Iolcus after Cretheus

• Neleus• Moved to Messenia and founded Pylos• His son, Nestor, fought at Troy

Salmoneus = Alcidice

Tyro = Poseidon

Pelias Neleus

NestorAdmetus = Alcestis

Pylos

Iolchos

Cretheus = Tyro = Poseidon

Polymede = Aeson

Jason

• Admetus:• Went to Thessaly and founded Pherae• A Calydonian hunter• An Argonaut• Married Alcestis

PeliasPheres = Periclymene

Lycurgus Admetus = Alcestis

Admetus and Alcestis

• Apollo:• Killed the Cyclopes, dear to Zeus• Had to serve a mortal for a year as punishment• Helped Admetus win the hand of Alcestis

Alcestis

• Euripides Alcestis (438 BC)• Molliere The Misanthrope (1666)

• Alceste is the main character• Theme: What will you sacrifice for your love?

• Christoph Gluck, Alceste (Opera, 1767)• A total of eight operas based on this story

Hercules Fighting Death to Save Alcestis. Frederic Lord Leighton

The Death of AlcestisPierre Peyron(1744 – 1814)

Cretheus = Tyro = Poseidon

Polymede = Aeson

Jason

PeliasPheres = Periclymene

Lycurgus Admetus = Alcestis

Hellen = Orseis


Perieres

Perimede



Hellen = Orseis

Dorus Aeolus = Enarete XuthusDeion = Diomede

Asteropeia CephalusAenetus Actor = Aegina = Zeus

Phylacus

Endeis = Aeacus = Psamathe

Zeus = Aegina

TelamonPeleus Phocus

• Zeus turned the ants to humans:• The Myrmidons

• Aeacus became king of Aegina (the Island)• By Endeis he had Peleus and Telamon• By Psamathe he had Phocus

Aegina

Temple of AphaiaAegina

East Pediment

Example of a Painted Pediment

Endeis = Aeacus

Zeus = Aegina

Telamon = PeriboeaThetis = Peleus

AjaxAchilles

Telamon

• Son of Aeacus, of Aegina• Moved to Salamis• One of the Calydonian Hunters• One of the Argonauts• Fought the Amazons with Heracles• Fought at Troy with Heracles• Father of Ajax

• The Athenian Philaidae family claimed descent from Telamon

Peleus

• Son of Aeacus and Aegina• King of the Myrmidons• Moved to Phthia (Pthiotis)• Married Thetis

• All the gods invited to the wedding…• except the goddess Discord.

Xuthus

Hellen = Orseis

Dorus Aeolus Xuthus = Creusa

Erechtheus

Achaeus Ion• Achaeus

• Gave his name to the Achaean people

• Ion• Gave his name to the Ionian people• But this must be false, the Ionians are Pelasgian

Protogeneia

Deucalion = Pyrrha

Hellen Amphictyon Protogeneia = Zeus

Dorus Xuthus Aeolus

Calyce = Aethlius

Endymion = Iphianassa

• Aethlius• Led the Aeolians from Thessaly • Founded Elis

• Endymion• Selene, the moon, fell in love with him• Asked Zeus to “make him stay like this forever”• But he was sleeping in a cave at the time

Protogeneia = Zeus

EndymionFrancesco Trevisani(1656 – 1746)

Endymion = Iphianassa

Aetolus = Pronoe

Xanthipe = Pleuron Calydon = Aeolia

Agenor = Epicaste

Eurythemis = Thestius

Porthaon Demonice = Ares


AlthaeaHypermnestraTyndarius = Leda

Iphiclus EvippusPlexippusEurypylus

• Tyndareus, king of Sparta• Zeus appeared to Leda as a swan• Two eggs:

• Helen• Castor and Polux

• After her death, Leda became the goddess Nemesis

Leda and the SwanGiovanni Rapiti

• Oeneus, son of Porthaon, ruler of Calydonia• Received the vine from Dionysus• Failed to sacrifice to Artemis• Visited by the Calydonian Boar


Althaea = OeneusHypermnestraLeda

Iphiclus EvippusPlexippusEurypylus

Calydonian Boar

Calydonian Boar

• Oeneus assembled a team of heroes• Included Atalanta, daughter of Schoeneus• Meleager, son of Oeneus, killed the boar

• And gave the skin to Atalanta

• The sons of Thestius stole if from her• Meleager killed the sons of Thestius

• And gave the skin back to Atalanta• War ensued, and Meleager was killed

• Adrastus who attempted to recover Thebes for Polynices

• Tydeus, who died at Thebes• Diomedes, who was one of the Epigonoi who

sacked Thebes• The same Diomedes who is featured in the Iliad.

Periboea = Oeneus = Althaea

Deipyle = Tydeus

Adrastus

Diomedes

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