Greek+Mythology

tocAs we read Oedipus Rex, we need to understand the allusions to Greek myths and legends and gods.We will build a study guide here. I'll start with the information you need for lesson one. =The Oedipus Myth=

 Later in his life Oedipus went to visit the oracle at Delphi himself, and discovered that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother. He then refused to return to Corinth and followed the road east instead where he had a confrontation over the right of way. **Midway between Delphi and Thebes** at the crossroads to Thebes and the small town of Daulia is where Oedipus killed his father, with Mt. Parnassos looming to the west. The place is called the Cleft Way and resides at the foot of Magus Hill. At this narrow gap between hills, Oedipus would not give way to an oncoming chariot, so Laius struck him with a two headed goad and Oedipus flew into a murderous rage, killing not only Laius but three of his four companions. At this time, Thebes was being terrorized by the Sphinx. Creon was ruling Thebes while Laius travelled to the oracle for help solving her riddle. On hearing of his murder, Creon offered the throne of Thebes and Jocasta's hand in marriage to whomever could solve the Sphinx's riddle. Oedipus answered Creon's challenge and solved the riddle, was crowned the King of Thebes and married Jocasta, not knowing she was his mother. All this takes place before the play begins.
 * When a son Oedipus (Oidipous)** was born to the royal couple (Laius and Jocasta), Laïus learned from the oracle that his son will one day kill him and have children by his mother. Horrified of the possible future, he ordered his shepherd to expose the infant child in the mountain. The shepherd didn't have the courage to abandon the infant in the wild, and gave Oedipus to Merope or Periboea, wife of Polybus, the king of Corinth. They brought up Oedipus in Corinth as if the child were their own.

=The Sphinx= (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus) Continuing his journey to Thebes, Oedipus encounters the [|Sphinx] who would stop all those who traveled to Thebes and ask them [|a riddle]. If the travelers were unable to answer correctly, they were eaten by the Sphinx; if they were successful, they would be able to continue their journey. The riddle was: "What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?". Oedipus answers: "Man; as an infant, he crawls on all fours, as an adult, he walks on two legs and, in old age, he relies on a walking stick". Oedipus was the first to answer the riddle correctly. Having heard Oedipus' answer, the Sphinx is astounded and throws herself to her death from a clifftop. Grateful, the people of Thebes appoint Oedipus as their king and give him the recently widowed Queen Jocasta's hand in marriage. (The people of Thebes believed her husband had been killed while on a search for the answer to the Sphinx's riddle. They had no idea who the killer was.) The marriage of Oedipus and Jocasta fulfilled the rest of the prophecy. Oedipus and Jocasta have four children: two sons, [|Polynices] and [|Eteocles] (see [|Seven Against Thebes]), and two daughters, [|Antigone] and [|Ismene]

For lesson two:

Apollo
([]) http://www.thanasis.com/apollo.htm

Son of Zeus, (one of many sons) and Leto and he has a twin sister called Artemis. He is most famous for his role in bringing the daylight, his task was to drag the sun across the sky with his chariot and four horses. Apollo was a God of youth and beauty, as well as truth and cannot tell a lie. Due to this, he was greatly respected and heard when he 'foretold' the future; his Oracle at Delphi was very popular, as it was a way for men to have some sort of link with the Gods. Apollo is usually associated with light and good and is one of the God's with no darkness or evil, however he does have the power and strength to inflict harm over somebody who disobeys him. and healing, because he brought medicine to man, and is said to have had control over the plague that struck Athens. He is also known well for his appreciation of Poetry and Music, and along with his own choir called the "Nine Muses", he played his instrument, the golden Lyre, to please the Gods ear's. A symbol which also represents Apollo is his silver bow and arrows which he uses with accuracy and expertise.

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Athena is the Greek godess of wisdom, the arts, industry, justice, and skill. She is Zeus's favorite child, and daughter of Zeus's first wife, Metis. Athena's birth was actually very strange; Zeus was scared that Metis would give birth to a son mightier than himself (which an oracle told him) so he swallowed her. In some versions of the story, Athena was born by the help of the blacksmith, Heptaestus, who opened Zeus's head with a stroke of his axe. Athena came out of his head fully grown, out of her father's head, wearing the robe and helmet that her mother had made for her.======

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Athena and Poseidon, God of Seas, wanted the city which is now the capital of Greece. They decided the one with the greater gift may have the city. Pesideon hit the side of a cliff with his trident and a spring came to be; the only problem with his gift was that it was salty, therefore not very useful. Whereas Athena gave the city an olive tree, which provided the people with oil, food, and wood. The city was named Athens, after Athena. Athena is also the guardian of Athens.======

Zeus (Charlotte's Topic):
Zeus, in Greek Mythology, is the kind of the Gods. He is the ruler of Mount Olympus and he is the God of sky and thunder. As every other God, Zeus has symbols. These consist of thunderbolts, eagles, bulls, and oaks. Zeus is frequently depicted by Greek artists in one of two poses: either standing, striding forward, with a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or seated in majesty. He was always portrayed with a beard, middle aged, with a youthful figure.

Zeus was the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of them all. He is usually married to Hera, although at the oracle of Dodona, he was married to Dione. According to the //Illiad// he is the father of Aphrodite by Dione. He is known for his "erotic escapades" which resulted in many Godly and heroic offspring. His children included: Athena, Appolo and Artemis, Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus (the one we learnt in class, the greek theatre is in honor of him), Perseus, Heracles, Helen, Minox, and the Muses. By his wife (usually) he is said to have fathered Ares, Hebe, and Hepaestus.

Zeus had many siblings (Hestia, Demeter, Hera (yes this is the one he later marries), Hades, and Poseidon) but his father, Cronus, swallowed them all as soon as they were born, since he had learnt from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son as he had overthrown his own father. When Zeus was about to be born, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save him, so that Cronus would get his retribution for his acts against Uranus and his own children. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed. After this there are various different theories of how he grew up.

Artemis


Artemis is one of principle Goddess of Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She was born on the island of Delos, and is the twin sister of her brother Apollo. She was the goddess of hunt, wilderness and fertility. She is identified with Selene, the goddess of moon; and her Roman equivalent is Diana. She is depicted as an eternally young woman, beautiful and vigorous. She carries her bow and arrows to hunt, and wears the lunar crescent on her brow. Legend has it, that right after Artemis was born, she aided her mother in delivering her brother. Little is known at about her childhood, but at three years old, Artemis asked her father, Zeus, to grant her six wishes. She wished to be chaste for eternity and to never to be confined to marriage, for kop-earned hounds, stags to lead her chariot, nymphs to be her hunting companions, and silver bow like her brother’s. Artemis remained a virgin, although she often helps other women in childbirth, like she did once she was born. It is, however, said that her arrows would bring about sudden death while giving birth. She mainly roamed mountain forests and uncultivated land. Like her brother, Apollo, Artemis was a divinity of healing, but also brought and spread diseases such as leprosy, rabies and even gout. Artemis was very protective of her purity, and gave grave punishment to any man who attempted to dishonor her in any way. Actaeon, while out hunting, accidentally came upon Artemis and her nymphs, who were bathing naked in a secluded pool. When Artemis saw him ogling them, she torn him into pieces.There are also many other stories of Artemis killing many other gods for actions such as having an affair, being vain and proud, or boasting of being a better hunter than Artemis. One of her notable failure was when she was defeated in the Trojan War.

Artemis was worshiped in most Greek cities. In Ephesus, a city in modern-day Turkey, a great temple was built in her honor, which became one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World".

Phoibus
([]) Apollo, god of the sun and music, was also named Phoebus (the bright, the shining). Invariably, he is represented young, naked or in a foot-long tunic, wearing a laurel wreath on his head. The laurel became the sacred plant of the god, supposedly after the metamorphosis of his beloved Nymph, Daphne (laurel). He was the deity of all good and noble, the guide of the Muses (Musegetes) as well as the god of prophecy and divination. His symbols were the lyre and the tripod.

In mythological texts the sun-god and Apollo are not otherwise confused or identified. For example, in [|Ovid]'s //[|Metamorphoses]// the hero [|Phaëton] is son of Phoebus the sun-god, not son of Phoebus Apollo

Thrace: Thrace refers to a geographic and historical area in Southeast Europe. In present day geography, Thrace designates the region of Southern Bulgaria, Northeastern Greece, and European Turkey. Historical boundaries also included the Danube River, Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Mamara. The indigenous population of Thrace were, and still are a Greek race called Thracians. Divided into separate tribes, the Thracians did not manage to form a lasting political organization until the Odrysian state was founded in the 4th century BC. The Thracians fell early under the cultural influence of the ancient Greeks, preserving till a much later time, however, their language and culture. It also appears from mythological accounts that the Thracians influenced Greek culture from a very early period, with some Thracians even appearing as culture-bearers in some myths. Thrace in Greek Mythology: Greek mythology is replete with Thracian Kings; main kings include  [|Diomedes],   [|Tereus] , [|Lycurgus] ,   [|Phineus] , Tegyrius,   [|Eumolpus] , Polymnestor,   [|Poltys] , and   [|Oeagrus]   (father of   [|Orpheus] ). Oeagrus is given as the father of Orpheus with mother Calliope (sometimes Apollo is given as the father). Homer’s Illiad mentioned Thracians as Trojan allies, led by Acamas and Peiros. Ancient Greek mythology provides them with a mythical ancestor, named  [|Thrax], son of the war-god [|Ares] , who was said to reside in Thrace. Later in the  // Iliad //, another Thracian king makes an appearance, named   [|Rhesus]. [|Cisseus], father-in-law to the Trojan elder  [|Antenor] , is also given as a Thracian king. Homeric Thrace was vaguely defined, and stretched from the River  [|Axios]   in the west to the Hellespont and   [|Black Sea]   in the east. The  [|Catalogue of Ships]   mentions three separate contingents from Thrace: Thracians led by Acamas and Peiros, from   [|Aenus] ;   [|Cicones]   led by   [|Euphemus], from southern Thrace, near   [|Ismarus] ; and from the city of   [|Sestus] , on the Thracian (northern) side of the Hellespont, which formed part of the contingent led by   [|Asius].

Sources: []

Maenads
In Greek mythology, **maenads** were the female followers of [|Dionysus], the most significant members of the [|Thiasus], the retinue of Dionysus. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by him into a state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination of dancing and drunken [|intoxication].[|[1]] In this state, they would lose all self-control, begin shouting excitedly, engage in uncontrolled sexual behavior, and [|ritualistically] hunt down and tear animals (and sometimes men and children) to pieces, devouring the raw flesh. During these rites, the maenads would dress in fawn skins and carry a [|thyrsus], a long stick wrapped in ivy or vine leaves and tipped by a cluster of leaves; weave ivy-wreaths around their heads; and often handle or wear snakes. From: []

Bacchus
Baccus was his original Roman name, but in Greek mythology known as Dionyus/Dionysos, was the " God of Wine, Theatre, Grapes, Ritual Madness and Ecstasy " He also powered over Mystery religious rites. Because he was best known for his mad ways, constant intoxication, and his notorious sexual and criminal behavior, it soon become too out of hand for the Greek and Roman Senate that they forbade his powers.

"The bull, the serpent, the ivy and the wine are the signs of the characteristic Dionysian atmosphere, and Dionysus is strongly associated with satyr,centaurs and sileni. He is often shown riding a leopard, wearing a leopard skin, or in a chariot drawn by panthers and may also be recognized by the thyrsus he carries. Besides the grapevine and its wild barren alter-ego, the toxic ivy plant, both sacred to him, the fig was also his symbol." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus) " //Dionysus or Dionysos was the god of wine and inspired madnes s, and a major figure of Greek mythology. He represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficial influences. The geographical origins of his cult were unknown, but almost all myths depicted him as having "foreign" (i.e. non-Greek) origins.// //He was also known as Bacchus and the frenzy he induces, bakcheia. He is the patron deity of agriculture and the theatre. He was also known as the Liberator (Eleutherios), freeing one from one's normal self, by madness, ecstasy, or wine. The divine mission of Dionysus was to mingle the music of the aulos and to bring an end to care and worry. Scholars have discussed Dionysus' relationship to the "cult of the souls" and his ability to preside over communication between the living and the dea // d ." ( http://www.crystalinks.com/bacchus.html)

**Kithairon**

Kithairon, can also be spelled Cithaeron, is a mountain range in Greece that separates Boeotia from Attica, and acts as a border between Athens and Thebes. It plays an important part in many Greek myths and is considered sacred to Dionysus. In fact, Mt.Kithairon is considered the home of the God Nysos, sometimes identified as the mountain-god Kithairon who is Dionysus foster-father. This mountain is important to the story of Oedipus Rex, as it is here that Oedipus is abandoned as a child. Sources: []  [] [] [] 

=The Furies= (Aileen Carpenter 2A)

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** Three goddesses of vengeance: Tisiphone (avenger of murder), Megaera (the jealous) and Alecto (constant anger). They were also known as the daughters of the night but were actually the daughters of Uranus and Gaea. They would never stop following criminals. The worst of all crimes were patricide or matricide. Guardians of the law, if the state did not intervene. They would protect beggers and stangers. The furies had snakes for hair and blood dripping from their eyes, From these beings we get the words " furious" and "infuriated." ** ===== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erinyes

Aileen is amazing. Here are other notes I can scrounge up on the Furies (I, as in Brenda Lee).. the website I found had like word for word the wikipedia stuff..

**Another name for them is the Erinyes. (Angry ones) Without mercy, the Furies would punish all crime including the breaking of rules considering all aspects of society. **
 * They would also be the guardians of the law when the state had not yet intervened or did not exist, or when the crime was a crime of ethics and not actual law . For example, they would protect beggars and strangers, punish those who stole the birds' young and even look out for the dogs.** (oh my!)
 * They changed into the Eumenides, (soothed ones) protectors of the suppliant, after Athena had made them merciful sparing Orestes, whom they had stalked for a long time after the murder of his mother and her lover.**

http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/furies.htm

When not punishing wrongdoers on earth, they lived in the **underworld**  and tortured the damned. According to some stories, the Furies were sisters born from the blood of Uranus, the **primeval**  god of the sky, when he was wounded by his son Cronus*. In other stories, they were the children of Nyx (night). In either case, their primeval origin set them apart from the other **deities**  of the Greek and Roman  **pantheons.** <span style="color: #2efb23; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Most tales mention three Furies: Allecto (endless), Tisiphone (punishment), and Megaera (jealous rage). Usually imagined as monstrous, foul-smelling hags, the sisters had bats' wings, coal-black skin, and hair entwined with serpents. They carried torches, whips, and cups of venom with which to torment wrongdoers. The Furies could also appear as storm clouds or swarms of insects.

Athena then calmed the anger of the Furies, who became known afterward as the Eumenides (soothed ones) or Semnai Theai (honorable goddesses). Now welcomed in Athens and given a home there, they helped protect the city and its citizens from harm. The Furies also had shrines dedicated to them in other parts of Greece. In some places, the Furies were linked with the three Graces, goddess sisters who represented beauty, charm, and goodness—qualities quite different from those usually associated with the Furies. Read more: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Fi-Go/Furies.html

= = =Parnassus= = =