26<\/p>\n
Z.G.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Mythology Mind\u201d<\/p>\n
September 30th, 2020<\/p>\n
FINAL DRAFT<\/p>\n
To Professor Thibodeau,<\/p>\n
Welcome to my Digital notebook. In this digital notebook I want to have a better understanding of Mythology in whole from what I already know. In organizing my digital notebook, I want to treat it as a journal of some sort, to really push the way I analyze using the starred question from the Homeworks, include Pictures and anything that comes to mind. Doing so, will make sure I really put my creativity and mindset to work and with mythology being my favorite subject, I have a lot to say. I want to write about the different tones and secret undemeaning that are in these myths. Could I draw a theory from a story? That I want to test and explore. That being said, here\u2019s my Digital Notebook. Thank you.<\/p>\n
DIGITAL BOOK: <\/p>\n
09\/1\/2020: * Here is a thesis to consider: \u201cThere is, basically, no mythology in the United States at the present time.\u201d Agree or disagree? State your reasons<\/p>\n
My simple answer to this thesis? I disagree. The long answer to this thesis? I disagree BECAUSE (considering that mythology and folklore is the same) in present times we still believe in many stories that have been verbally and culturally passed on that date back to Christopher Columbus. Even native Americans, in present time carry their mythology and the figures today. In the present time of the united states, we are a mixing pot of mythologies. We practice multiple mythologies throughout the years and their myths. The legends of Christmas are surrounded by Christianity beliefs to tell the tales of Christ, but the mythical creature is not Christ but in fact the famous Santa -who to me is really a pagan god- , and Krampus -who\u2019s definitely a mythical monster- . <\/p>\n
I say that because we leave offerings -cookies and milk, a tree, decorative sweaters with his face on it, stockings and lights – in hopes he will visit and give us blessings *coughs* gifts of what we want, and to stay away from Krampus. That\u2019s just like Greeks if they were giving offers to Aphrodite in hopes she will come down from Olympia and grant fertility blessings and while not provoking Hades. Another one In the united states, valentine\u2019s day. that stem directly from the folklores of the roman mythical god of desire and love, Cupid. St. Patrick days, the folklore of the leprechaun for wealth and the 4-leaf clover (a real plant mythicized to bring luck). Tooth fairies, kids offer their tooths -a ritual of putting every tooth under pillow at night- and waits for the mythical creature to take it and leave blessings (a quarter). The grim reaper (death) another big mythology in the U.S. right now. He\u2019s -or she\u2019s- one of the four horsemen, or spirit guide to heaven or hell. people try to dodge death like if he was a real deity and in present times he is, people get tattoos of \u201cdeath\u201d, or put up symbols to avoid his presence.<\/p>\n
Halloween! A giant mythology with Tons of mythical creatures. \u201cthe monsters come out at night\u201d so we dress up in customs to hide our identities from mythical demons and monsters like Dracula (who stemmed from Vlad the Impaler) the headless horsemen (the lore still told about today) Frankenstein, and death himself (or herself). Again, making offers (candies, pumpkins, skeletons) for protection to ward off evil. Even In present times witchcraft is still practiced. Of course nowadays they don\u2019t ride broom sticks or have moles, even though that too is a myth because well\u2026 the Salem witch trials BUT, they still have a solid mythology: crystals, spells, offerings to moon gods like Apollo, the universe as actual deity, the angels, fairies, moonlight or sunlight water. so, there\u2019s not only a mythology in the U.S. there\u2019s a million that are religiously connected or historically connected or not connected at all to us.<\/p>\n
Even if we narrow it down to the U.S. alone \u2013 and this is my last reason-, excluding other countries mythologies, and cultures, we still have a bunch of myths. \u201cjinx, knock on wood\u201d, don\u2019t spill salt, don\u2019t break mirrors, brides must wear white, avoid black cats, never walk under a piano or latter, \u201cnever split the pole\u201d, The boogie man, always say bless you, the sleep paralysis demon, spirit animals, old numbers vs even numbers, tuck your feet at night so the demon wont snatch your toes, or even a prayer. We alone in the U.S right now have myths that don\u2019t even have direct origins but are weirdly unique to just us, that we have shared them, still tell them, practice and believe them strongly to where we made our own mythology.<\/p>\n
09\/03\/2020: *B. If you had to put a sticker of one of these deities on your computer, which would you select, and why?<\/p>\n
I picked two deities (both goddesses) the first one I picked was Persephone, the reason being is because to me she sorts of represented a balance from the heavens and the underworld (literally). Persephone is the wife of Hades king of the underworld (only because Hades was lonely and was the only Olympian without a wife or child *cough* because Zeus toke them all) and she is also the only daughter of Demeter through Zeus. <\/p>\n
Persephone was kidnapped from Olympia as a young girl (Hades was desperate) and was tricked by hades once her mother (Demeter) wanted to take her back to Olympus, Making Persephone spend half of every year in Olympia and the other half in the underworld. Then to grow up and become a woman to rule to underworld while also ruling over mount Olympus. She Unintentionally become the best of both worlds. In a way she reminded me of my myself being of two cultures.<\/p>\n
The second deity I choose was, Athena the virgin goddess. I mean she\u2019s the strongest goddess -if not- the strongest Olympian next to her father Zeus. She screams Boss level energy. Athena helped Perseus killed Medusa so she can put medusas head on her shield because she hated her\u2026boss level. She\u2019s the counterpart of what Ares was supposed to be\u2026 boss level. She\u2019s came out of Zeus head because he had a headache, so she was born out of a boss\u2019s forehead, in other words\u2026boss level. Out of everyone statues including Zeus, hers is painted in gold\u2026 boss level. She didn\u2019t even have a childhood she was born with armor already on and fully grown\u2026boss level. Master strategist? … Boss level. Zeus\u2019s favorite? … boss level. She ran away on her honeymoon because Hephaestus was ugly\u2026boss level. She feared not a single soul unlike Ares who was a crybaby\u2026boss level. She\u2019s immune to love, she turned her only love interest her maiden into an ant\u2026boss level. So how could she not be on my computer. <\/p>\n
*C Are the Greek gods \u2018good\u2019, \u2018bad\u2019, a mix \u2013 or do these labels not really apply?<\/p>\n
Regarding the Greek gods, I don\u2019t think the labels good, bad, or even mix, applies. Mythologically speaking, were dealing with a race of supreme divinities who has no bounds to their power or rules that they created. They are personifications and embodiments of all creations of earth. From the heavens, to the sea and even the underworld. To even have a label on them would be in my opinion, a deep read into nothing. Because of course they are unfair and unjust in ways that can put them on the spectrum of bad, but just like Christianity faith of god, people argue: well why should someone follow a god who tell Abraham to kill his own son, or brings wraith, looks away from disasters and even causes them? And it will always be the same answer. Because he\u2019s God. He created us and so we shouldn\u2019t question what he does. So, it goes the same with Greek gods. We have Zeus but he rapes mortal women and has anger problems, Poseidon who is the angriest and meanest who kills seamen because he\u2019s having a bad day, Cronus ate his own children and castrated his own father and threw his testicles in THE OCEAN, Aphrodite killed any woman that was better looking than her. Hera was jealous because of Zeus affairs and tried to kill his offspring\u2019s, Ares\u2026 well he\u2019s Ares and he caused war for no reason. The point is, all of their actions (in humanities eyes) are absolutely terrible and honestly shouldn\u2019t be worshipped but because they are creators and gods and goddesses, our humanity laws and scale of right and wrong doesn\u2019t apply to them.<\/p>\n
09\/10\/2020: 7* Is Prometheus presented by Hesiod as a heroic figure challenging an evil Zeus? Or is he a criminal challenging a just supreme king?<\/p>\n
In class we went over the origins and the story of Prometheus. In the Hesiod, Prometheus is presented as what I would saw a tragic hero as he challenged Zeus. In prior discussions, I had seem to pick up a theme or pattern presented in the Hesiod about the gods and their interactions with this \u201csupreme king Zeus\u201d. The pattern I picked up was, for one, it seems like if the gods acted in any interest towards mortal humans, they were punished. Everything is controlled by Zeus, there is no say or even no form of disobedience or disagreement when it comes to him. Now I can\u2019t really tell if the Hesiod is meant for the mortals or if it is a \u201chow to\u201d book on how not to cross Zeus. To mortals Prometheus is a heroic figure. Mortals were giving most of their stocks that they work hard for to Zeus but for what? Zeus so far in Hesiod has shown to be rather cruel to receive this type of admiration, Something I think Prometheus concluded himself. Prometheus\u2019s the guy that sticks up for the little guys(mortal) standing up to the big bully. The fact that he was wise and driven and even put himself at risk for those inferior to his kind, is true heroics. Plus, its kind of hard to root for Zeus in any scenario that involve others. <\/p>\n
3.* What similarities can you see in the details between the creation of Adam and Eve and the creation of Pandora? How is the account in Genesis different? What features of human life does it explain?<\/p>\n
Genesis and the creation of pandora. When put together side by side if you look deeply, you can see that both creations are the same. What connects them? Misogyny. <\/p>\n
The misogyny is laid very thick In both the book of genesis and the creation of pandora. For example, in the book of genesis who was first? Man. The same for Greek mythology. In the book of genesis Eve was made for Adam, straight from his rib. That\u2019s the exact same for pandora, she was only made for Prometheus brother (out of spite). Pandora and Eve were made as \u201cgifts\u201d however those gifts weren\u2019t made to be on their own or to bring anything else beside the continuation of man. Even the way both Eve and Pandora \u201cdoomed\u201d mankind is the exact same. It had to be Eve who is persuaded by the snake in the garden, to eat the forbidden fruit and to curse all of their children. Zeus on purpose, made a jar for Pandora of complete destruction as a wedding present and it had to be Pandora to be the one to open it. Now one would ask well why them? It\u2019s because despite the cruelty Zeus has bestowed on man and despite God condemning Adams first wife (Lilith) to hell for not \u201cobeying\u201d her husband, and hitting the start over button, it\u2019s easier to blame a woman for all the world misfortune than the men that created them. <\/p>\n
Neither Eve nor pandora had minds of their own. Pandora was made with the characteristics of a dog\u2019s mind, and Eve was made for the sole purpose to do as Adam said. Like I mentioned before Eve was not Adams first wife, it was Lilith, and just like pandora they were physically made out of clay or the earth. But unlike Pandora, Lilith actually developed a mind of her own, a lot more independent but here\u2019s where the misogyny is laid thick, because she strayed from a \u201cwife\u201d role she was banished to hell and worse to be the mother of demons. Pretty harsh for a woman just thinking for herself. So, seeing this \u201cmistake\u201d God made sure that the next women wound undoubtingly do as she told by making a woman directly for the rib of man instead of the earth. As for Pandora, Zeus made sure that she would cause destruction rather than happiness, Especially after what Prometheus pulled. How do you entrust that the mortals will side with Zeus again? You bring a woman into the picture make her be the reason for all the wrong doings. Zeus literally left \u201chope\u201d at the bottom of the jar without any intention of releasing it. Just like Eve when she ate the apple, even till today some blame Eve for mankind straying away from good or our \u201cintended path\u201d. <\/p>\n
Even their redemption for their mistakes are the same. The only way women can make up for the wrongs of the world is to serve their \u201cpurpose\u201d of childbearing. That \u201chope\u201d that was at the bottom of Pandoras Jar? Well in class we got a close depiction of what pandoras jar looked like, and you guessed it resembled that of a uterus. Hope was the uterus. Now for Pandora and Greece it understandable why that would be that way, because in early Greece most children didn\u2019t survive long do to the lack of crops and poverty so to hope that Greece survived, the children was the future, through women. But for Eve, population was all she could do to ensure mankind survived even after what she did.<\/p>\n
Pandora<\/p>\n
Pandora<\/p>\n
Pandora’s Jar<\/p>\n
Pandora’s Jar<\/p>\n
Eve In The Garden Of Eden<\/p>\n
Eve In The Garden Of Eden<\/p>\n
9\/24\/2020: *[On the \u2018Trickster\u2019] What are some of the basic traits of a trickster character in literature? Which of the features of Hermes\u2019 life and actions fit the trickster pattern? Does it make sense to you for a god whom people worship and honor to have these trickster features?<\/p>\n
Hermes! The infamous trickster. When we discussed the story and the birth of Hermes I was thrilled, he\u2019s one of the most complex gods in my opinion. I say complex not just because of the tricks but he has such a mixed origin. In literature there is pattern around trickers, that pattern is deceit and a weird birth. Trickers are conniving and always associated with thieves like Hermes. But I\u2019ve always wondered could that have been a characteristic that came from the circumstances of his birth? <\/p>\n
Zeus (not surprisingly) snuck his way and impregnated Maia (Hermes mother) in the dead of night while the Gods slept. (Zeus has a serious problem at this point) since Zeus snuck his way, that could be why his son is mischievous just like him. For a Greek god to be the embodiment of thievery or to be the god of what is supposed to be frowned upon, has to be complexing especially for them to be honored. But everyone needs a god to pray to, if you want fertility you pray to Aphrodite, but if you need strength to pull off a bank heist in the middle of Athens, I guess you have Hermes. Hermes is even the god of sleep which is expected *cough* *cough* Zeus. But with his life actions you would think sleep would be completely out of his league. Straight out of the mountain at night Hermes was stealing cattle from his own brother before he could even walk. he was lying to his mother and brother, using his own self-awareness that he was a baby to get his way out. Now that I\u2019ve thought about it, it does make sense why Hermes would be worshipped or honored. His personality reminds people of a sibling\u2019s relationship, out of every god, he\u2019s possibly the most relatable.<\/p>\n
10\/8\/2020: *3. What is the story of Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares? Why in this myth do you think Hephaestus is married to Aphrodite? Why is that appropriate, or ironic? And why is it appropriate, or ironic, that Aphrodite and Ares should love each other?<\/p>\n
The story of the Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares. Well the short version is, Hephaestus a blacksmith god, was married to Aphrodite the goddess of love beauty and pleasure, by Zeus. While married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite has an affair with the god war Ares, her true love. <\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s the run down. Hephaestus is the god of fire and metalworking; however, he was deformed and a cripple and thrown out from Mount Olympia (by his own mother Hera) because of his deformity. However, because of his hard work and contribution and the fact that he trapped Hera to a chair and was the only one who could free her, he was welcome back to Olympia with open arms. But he was still ugly. Aphrodite the goddess of love, her beauty and her uncontrollable desire ran so deep that mortal men and the gods fought over who she should be with. The gods were head over heels in trying to win over Aphrodite that their jealousy for one another was enough to start a war and chaos. To prevent that from happening Zeus decided that only way to prevent and solve this problem was to wed Aphrodite to none other than Hephaestus. Zeus did this Because, since Hephaestus was ugly and lame, Zeus thought by giving Aphrodite away to the Hephaestus the gods wouldn\u2019t complain or get jealous. Now Aphrodite wasn\u2019t okay with the hasty decision or the fact she was married to the ugliest god, so she never stayed faithful to him and had an affair with her true love, the god of war Ares. Hephaestus does find out about the affair but could not prove it the gods. Enable to prove Aphrodite\u2019s infidelity to the gods Hephaestus set a trap that imprisoned Ares and Aphrodite in \u201cthe act\u201d exposing the truth. But there\u2019s something fishy about Zeus wedding off Aphrodite. Before Hephaestus, Aphrodite already had many lovers\u2019 gods and mortals. to think if she\u2019d continue being with gods and mortal that she would destroy all of mankind and the peace between gods is a bit far-fetched, even for Zeus. And if she was this threat to peace and if wedding was the only way to prevent this, then why Hephaestus? the \u201cugliest\u201d among them? Why not the strongest or most powerful among them? to say the wedding of Hephaestus and Aphrodite was appropriate, would be hard to prove. I find the wedding of Aphrodite and Hephaestus ironic instead of Appropriate.<\/p>\n
I believe the reason Hephaestus was married to Aphrodite is because Zeus wanted to get Hephaestus back for trapping Hera after she neglected him. Zeus knows that Aphrodite would be unfaithful especially to Hephaestus. Aphrodite adultery would Make the gods laugh at Hephaestus for thinking Aphrodite would truly love him and be loyal. Ultimately embarrassing and humiliating Hephaestus in the same why he humiliated Hera for not loving him. This is the irony. Hephaestus exacted his revenge against Hera to humiliate her Infront of everyone by making her trapped in a thrown she could not stand up from. So, Zeus (probably to make up all the times he cheated on Hera) to avenge Hera, wed Hephaestus (to humiliate him in front of the gods) to Aphrodite, the one person who could not love him. (kind of like Zeus with Hera, another irony if you think about it). Plus, what was more humiliating for Hephaestus is that the one Aphrodite did truly loved and had a long affair with, is Ares.<\/p>\n
Aphrodite loving Ares, to me was pretty appropriate. With Ares being the god of war, and Aphrodite being the goddess of love, loving each other could be a justification for the Love of war (see what I did there) amongst mortals. Think about it, Greek mythology or even myths in general are stories and tales justifying humanities actions and reasonings. Love and war go hand and hand in humanity. Constantly on earth we are in some form or war with each other. Fighting because of the love of our countries, our values, or way of living, dating way back to the Mesopotamian wars we’ve fought over everything just because. but we never figured out why we love fighting so much. So, what\u2019s a great way to justify why we\u2019re so attracted to war? Well, Aphrodite, the embodiment of love and desire was attracted to war herself; war was her lover. If we love war so such its only appropriate that love and war had to be together physically.<\/p>\n
The aspect of love and war I find to be so interesting because Look at the trojan war! it\u2019s just like the story of Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares. The wife of the king of Greece whose said to be the most prettiest woman (like Aphrodite) ran off with the son of the trojan king (like Ares whose the son of Zeus) from her husband (like Hephaestus), leaving the king of Sparta no other choice but to seek console to go to war with troy to get her back (just like how Hephaestus went through such lengths to convince the gods of Aphrodite\u2019s infidelity with Ares). With a trick and a horse trap, (like the trap Hephaestus set) the king of Sparta won the trojan war. (just like how Hephaestus won catching Ares and his wife Aphrodite in the act). <\/p>\n
And what\u2019s also interesting about all of this, is that in the myths of the trojan war, it\u2019s said to be that Aphrodite instigated and was the one that made the queen of Sparta fall for the son of the king of troy just because he gave Aphrodite the golden apple from the wedding of Achilles parents. it also said that Ares helped assist Aphrodite in the war himself, Which could be a really good reason of why Troy lost to a horse. To be fair, Ares is probably the worst god to seek help in conflicts.<\/p>\n
The Story Behind the Trojan War<\/p>\n
The Story Behind the Trojan War<\/p>\n
Aphrodite and Ares Trapped<\/p>\n
Aphrodite and Ares Trapped<\/p>\n
10\/15\/2020: 7.* Dionysus was more than just a god of wine. What does the Bacchae \u2013 in particular, the answers to the previous questions \u2013 tell us about his special powers?<\/p>\n
When walking in the discussion of Dionysus, I thought to myself, how complex could a god on wine be? I thought the most complex he could be was to be the embodiment of wine and drunkenness for agricultural justification for Greece normality for wine. In the Mediterranean, wine is prominent, it goes regularly with meals and not just for over consumption. So, when I read the Homeric hymn, and saw Dionysus was more than a god of wine but a god of freedom, loosening, and wild animals, I was surprised. Dionysus attributes were well fitting for his character, and so were his special powers. The Bacchae (and the Hymns) tells us that All his special powers were directly related to his attributes as a god:<\/p>\n
In the Bacchae (as well as the Homeric Hymns) no chains could hold him. Although the reasoning is somewhat due to the fact that Dionysus is still a god, the main reason is he\u2019s boundless. it\u2019s his character to loosen up the same way wine can do after a hefty amount of consumption. In the Bacchae, Pentheus tried to jail Dionysus, and Dionysus not only freed himself, but he takes down the whole jail with him. <\/p>\n
Dionysus Shape-shifting abilities. Dionysus has the ability to turn in whatever he wants including wild animals, however it\u2019s not just him he can turn into different things, but he can make anyone see anything he want. For example, the Bacchae and Pentheus mother. After Dionysus got Pentheus into a dress and sent him to all the women and his mother, when Pentheus arrived the women killed him because they thought he was a lion cub. Pentheus mother didn\u2019t even realized she had her sons head in her hands until they went back to the city to show it off, then the illusion Dionysus made has gone away, another special ability that\u2019s directly linked to his attributes. When under the influence of alcohol or wine your vision gets impaired, what you see is not what is there until you sober up. the way Dionysus made all the women and Pentheus mother mistake Pentheus as a lion cub until after Pentheus was dead, Dionysus decides to sober his mother up.<\/p>\n
Dionysus Loosening. In the play from the very moment Dionysus is presented to Pentheus to the moment Pentheus leaves, we see how Pentheus went from uptight to loosen with only few words and interactions with Dionysus. Dionysus tell Pentheus that he doesn\u2019t even know who he is and from that alone right away tells us the powers of Dionysus. in a drunken state when a people get loose, they show their true colors, their true selves wither it be joyous or destructive. with Dionysus being the god of wine, he\u2019s capable of showing a person true self. with a few words from him to Pentheus of what he wants to see and what Pentheus desires, it\u2019s the same as what alcohol can do, persuading some to make rash decisions they would not normally make if they were sober. Pentheus didn\u2019t want to dress as a woman or effeminate himself, but gradually Dionysus (wine) got him to loosen up and made him wear women\u2019s clothing so he can get what he wants which is to spy on the women. Same for the women, from the play you can see that his powers include the drunkenness from both Pentheus and his mother and women, the women when loosen up by Dionysus instead of being lady like, they started to act like men, ripping a lion cubs to shred and taking its head back like a trophy, like if they were hunters. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve made an interesting observation about the revisal of gender roles in the play. Dionysus is gender ambiguous, that plus he can take any form he wishes (just like in the hymns where he looked like a pubescent prince.) I couldn\u2019t help but wonder, could the reason why Dionysus is gender ambiguous be because (in a sense) wine is gender ambiguous too? All his special powers are link to the simple fact that he is the god of wine, and the pattern with Greek mythology is that these gods and goddess are embodiments. Dionysus, the longer he talked to Pentheus the more incoherent and insensible Pentheus was, the exact same way the more you drink the more insensible you become. It\u2019s as if Dionysus words were wine itself being drank by those who listened (sort of like taking a sip). For example, even in the Homeric Hymns, the longer Dionysus was on the boat with the pirates, everyone started to see things that wasn\u2019t there and things that were abnormal like the flooding of wine, the vines, and the grapes that came. What makes it abnormal, is that the order was all backwards from how wine is supposedly made. First, it\u2019s the vines, then the grapes, and then the wine. However, wine and alcohol can twist what we normally see, and turn it into something abnormal, just like Dionysus can. He revised the order in which wine is made the same way he revised the gender roles in the Bacchae. Wine is ambiguous to both men and women who consumed it, the same way Dionysus is gender ambiguous when presented to the men and women that sees him. <\/p>\n
I had another observation contributing to the pattern I\u2019m seeing in Greek mythology. Every story about the interactions with gods, they all a deep relationship that represents the different tones of humanity. When discussed in class about the affair with Aphrodite and Ares and the concept of love and war going hand in hand, well Pentheus and Dionysus go hand and hand too. How? Dionysus and Pentheus are cousins. At first it didn\u2019t make sense the way Dionysus would just lead his cousin to his demise because of his ignorance, but I looked deeper into their relationship as to what connected these two besides just being blood relatives. Dionysus and Pentheus is Wine and sorrow. Pentheus name means sorrow and grief, something that some people tend to drink and get drunk to get rid of, the exact same way Dionysus got rid of Pentheus. \u201cdrowning your sorrows\u201d and just like the play, life too can be tragic, some people resort to alcohol a to deal with deep distress and pain. it makes sense that Dionysus and Pentheus are tied as relatives to each other.<\/p>\n
The relationships just keep coming.<\/p>\n
10\/27\/2020 (My Birthday): *E. Do these stories remind you of any fictional or real-life stories?<\/p>\n
As we talked about the stories of Cadmus, Tantalus, Midas, Sisyphus, Bellerophon, and Melampus, they all reminded me of fictional characters and stories:<\/p>\n
Cadmus & Indiana Jones<\/p>\n
Cadmus and Indiana Jones both lived long and adventurous life, collecting artifacts for example Indiana Jones and the crystal skull the holy grail, Sankara stones and other mythological artifacts. Cadmus slay numerous mythological creatures while also introducing Greeks to the Phoenician alphabet. Plus, they both have amazing skills due to their experience in all the adventures they went on throughout their lives.<\/p>\n
Tantalus & Red Skull (Marvel universe)<\/p>\n
Tantalus reminded me of Red Skull because Both Tantalus and Red Skull can never have what they want. After Tantalus tried to feed his son to the gods he was punished by Zeus, doom to Hades to be thirsty and hungry forever, never able to quench his thirst even when he is soaked in water and Infront of a fruit tree. Just like Red Skull, after killing so much to obtain an infinity stone he was doomed to purgatory to guide others who seek the soul stone and to watch others attain what he could never get. Both of them were sent to different realms for punishment, while both can never attain what they killed to get.<\/p>\n
Midas & Tomura Shigaraki<\/p>\n
We got Midas with the golden touch and we got Tomura Shigaraki (a villain from the anime \u201cMy Hero Academia\u201d) with the touch of decay. Everything Midas touches turns to gold, even his food leading him to starve and he turned his daughter to gold. Tomura Shigaraki, has a quirk (which is, born abilities that varies from child to child when they turn 5) that makes everything he touches with his hands decay, when he developed his quirk at five he accidently killed his whole family taking the hands that didn\u2019t decay and wears them. Both in very touchy situations.<\/p>\n
Bellerophon & Percy Jackson<\/p>\n
Technically their related. Both Bellerophon and Percy Jackson are sons to Poseidon making them demigods. Both Percy Jackson and Bellerophon were raised by guys who thought were their fathers, Bellerophon is a natural born hero the greatest slayer of monsters, although Percy Jackson isn\u2019t the greatest he was still a true hero and saved a lot of other demigods like him against monsters killing a fire breathing dragon, just like Bellerophon did and it what both of them are known for. They even share the same interest in Pegasus\u2019s; however, I think Percy had a better relationship with his horse than Bellerophon did. <\/p>\n
Melampus & Dr. Dolittle<\/p>\n
I immediately thought of Dr. Dolittle when I heard Melampus could speak to animals and was a healer. They\u2019re stories the exact same really, they are amazing healers although Dr. Dolittle is more focused as a vet, but their fluent ability to understand and talk to animals is amazing. Melampus way of learning how to talk to animals through snakes reminded me of how Dr. Dolittle learned how to speak to animals through his dog and parrots. Just Two Animal lovers.<\/p>\n
Sisyphus & Atlas<\/p>\n
The Painful Punishments. One thing about Zeus he has a PhD in Punishment and Torture. Hearing Sisyphus punishment reminded of the titan Atlas, both had been doomed by Zeus to carry boulders for eternity, while their reasoning for these punishments were different, Sisyphus cheating death (and so did everyone of earth\u2026 for a while thanks to his scheme) and Atlas losing the Titanomachy he helped started against Zeus, they both have a lot of weight to carry. I don\u2019t even know which is worse, eternally rolling a boulder up a hill in hades just for it never reach the top like Sisyphus or literally being stuck carrying the heavens and earth on your shoulders. Either way, both are equally harsh.<\/p>\n
10\/29\/2020: *E. Do these stories remind you of any fictional or real-life stories?<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t wait to answer this question, so that I could bring up this new Netflix animated series called \u201cBlood of Zeus\u201d. It came out the same day we spoke about the stories of Cadmus, Tantalus, Midas, and etc., After binge-watching the entire show (toke me about 4 hours) it reminded me of all the stories we spoke about today about Heracles, Theseus, Daedalus, Oedipus, Jason, Atalanta and Meleager, and Helen.<\/p>\n
In class we discussed about the mortal children of Zeus and if they meet the requirements of what it takes to be hero, having a mortal and immortal parent, a test of heroics, and a tragic back story. <\/p>\n
\u201cBlood of Zeus\u201d is the same as the other stories of any illegitimate child of Zeus. Hera is fed up with Zeus turning into mortal women\u2019s husbands and impregnating them (just like he did Hercules mother). jealous of Zeus bringing his illegitimate kids to Olympia, she tries killing them or making their mortals lives hell. this time this story takes a difference turn and ends different that those told in the \u201cD\u2019Aulaires, The Mortal Children of Zeus\u201d. It\u2019s a great show, it gives great concept on, if they\u2019re stories of Greek mythology that are pass down other than what was written in the Hesiod? And or, are there alternate endings to those stories that we don\u2019t know about. Almost the same way there are stories in the bible that were altered and even left out from the original text?<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve noticed that the gods and goddesses we know in the tales we talk about, when it comes to their movie or show portrayals, its always different and tells a different story for example:<\/p>\n
Theseus & \u201cImmortals\u201d<\/p>\n
When we talked about \u201cD\u2019Aulaires, The Mortal Children of Zeus\u201d Theseus I was reminded of \u201cImmortals\u201d, the movie about Theseus too. But the myth and the movie were completely different amongst each other. The Theseus in \u201cImmortals\u201d was not like the Theseus in Greek mythology. in Greek mythology Theseus was a demigod the son of Poseidon and a princess, but the \u201cImmortals\u201d version of him was a fatherless Stoneman raised by Zeus, however one thing that kept the same was Theseus and Phaedra (Theseus wife) together, even those in the film she was portrayed as an auricle instead of the daughter of king Minos like in Greek mythology.<\/p>\n
Heracles & \u201cHercules\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting Into Hercules, I was reminded of the Waltz Disney \u201cHercules\u201d not knowing that it would be completely different too. *ruins childhood*, the Hercules in Greek mythology was a demigod instead of a god he\u2019s portrayed as in the film version of him. I guess since it was a family film, they couldn\u2019t mention the fact that Hera tried to kill a baby Hercules because of Zeus infidelity\u2026 again. So, they let Hercules be the son of both Zeus and Hera instead of his real mother (Alcmene) making Hera into a sweet loving kind mother to Hercules rather than the murdering jealous stepmother we know her as. They even made the jealous one Hades, because it makes more sense that the god of the underworld would be the one to attempt to murder a baby than Zeus\u2019s own wife. The Hercules film also changed how he made himself a \u201cworthy god\u201d in the film the \u201c12 labors\u201d are hero tasks and in the end, he gets the girl after becoming a god. In Greek mythology because Hera was so determined in destroying Heracles, she caused him to go mad and kill his children and wife, the \u201c12 Labors\u201d were so Heracles can redeem himself for his sins. Learning about the myth of Heracles and watching Hercules over, I see why Disney left a lot out.<\/p>\n
Side Note\/\/: I had a question occurred: *why does Zeus have so many kids? I understand that he\u2019s perv but there has to be a reason for why he keeps impregnating everything that walk.<\/p>\n
Rounding up all the stories we\u2019ve discussed, I came with a theory as to why Zeus has so much children (other than him being a perv)<\/p>\n
One of my theory\u2019s is in history, a lot of kings and rulers always wanted to be connected to divinity, and so strive to prove that they have the right to rule through divine lineage. Pharaohs did it in Egypt and the Greeks may have too. There is a famous statue of Augustus ( the first roman emperor) where there is a small child on the foot who is Cupid (child of Venus the goddess of love) the reason for this inclusion on this statue was to show that Augustus had claims to divine lineage making him a true rightful leader. Venus who in Greek is Aphrodite, is the daughter directly from Zeus, the king of all gods. To be connected or a descendent of Zeus or even his children, mean you have some sort of a divinity too that makes you able to rule as king. I even noticed that there are more decedents to Zeus than there are to other supreme gods like Poseidon and others. It could be because people would rather be connected to Zeus the king of all gods than any other god less than him, so it\u2019s fitting to put that Zeus came down from the heavens to make decedents.<\/p>\n
The other theory I had as to why Zeus has so much children, is that Zeus loves to conquer. He won the Titanomachy, that alone fills his ego to want to win more. Like any kings with power they want to take and slap their names on anything they\u2019ve made Thiers. Zeus wouldn\u2019t be excluded in this behavior, establishing his rule over the heavens and the earth in the means of women and territory. Zeus has no loyalty when it comes to Hera and their marriage, even as she tries and has made his illegitimate kids suffer because of infidelity, Zeus knowingly continues to cheat. Its not accidental but more territorial.<\/p>\n
12\/01\/2020: *3. How is the capture of Troy \u201cunfair\u201d? In what ways do the Greeks \u201ccheat\u201d? Where in the story do the Trojans \u201ccheat\u201d \u2013 and what happens to them?<\/p>\n
The capture of troy was unfair because it wasn\u2019t a clash of strength or power, no man on man combat. Instead the Greeks made a strategy, a trick to avoid all the fighting and sneak their way to victory. Using the trojan horse was basically cheating to the romans. In a way, it\u2019s like bringing a gun to a knife fight. The sack of troy has always intrigues me because I still couldn\u2019t grasp how the romans fell for a clever trick. Then after reading, it a lot more understandable, romans were always on brute energy, gladiators and physical fighting combat style, but the Greeks were always wits, brains. The sack of troy was just a wit over muscle and usually in most times in war brains win. The roman believed that the Greeks would be respectable and fair \u201csettle it like men\u201d so they never would have thought the Greeks pulled any trickery, but they did and it\u2019s the underestimating your opponent is what caused the Greeks to capture troy. Had the romans thought with theirs heads too (and or listen to Orlando Bloom) then they could have seen the horse as suspicious and have their guard up. Or burned it.<\/p>\n
Side Note\/\/: *were there any more ways the Greeks might have \u201ccheated\u201d in the Trojan war? What if the gods never Intervened? Would the outcome be the same? or different?<\/p>\n
When we talked about how the Greeks cheated by using a horse instead of facing the romans head on like \u201cmen\u201d would, It made me question if there were other ways they cheated. The reason I ask is because, to lose in such a manner because of sheer wits would make one second guess what else was at play.<\/p>\n
it may have to do with divine interactions. All along the Greeks did have the gods on their side, and even against them. Aphrodite basically started the war and she did protect Helen through the war on top of that Ares-the god of war-was fighting too siding with the trojans, Zeus even sent down lightning bolts striking ships. Hephaestus made Achilles a new suit; Poseidon, Athena, Hermes, and Hera aided and sided with the Greeks even Apollo was fighting killing Greeks and protecting Hector. It had to be more than brains vs strength. <\/p>\n
What if the gods never intervened? Would the outcome of the war be different if neither the Greeks nor the Romans didn\u2019t have the gods in their favor? Had Aphrodite not intervened and saved Paris, Hephaestus not making a new amor for Achilles, Apollo protecting Hector, Zeus not falling asleep, would the outcome of the war be the same or different?<\/p>\n
I think so, for one Paris would be dead and Helen wouldn\u2019t have gotten kidnapped so the trojan war wouldn\u2019t have really started. If Hephaestus didn\u2019t make Achilles a new suit of armor, well I guess nothing would change he would gotten one anyway. If Apollo wasn\u2019t angry at Achilles or the gods, the Greeks could have won the war without it taking so long changing the length of the war and maybe win sooner. Had Zeus been awake to prevent the gods from interfering anymore, Poseidon couldn\u2019t help the Greeks and that could of changed the outcome too. But most of all there wouldn\u2019t have been no war if Eres was invited to the wedding. <\/p>\n
GREEK MYTHOLOGY INDEX:<\/p>\n
APHRODITE \u2013 Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and passion. She is the daughter of Zeus however according to the Theogony she was born from the severed genitals of Uranus cut off by Cronos, where Aphrodite arose from the foam of the sea. She is also one of the 12 pantheon Gods.<\/p>\n
APOLLO \u2013 Apollo is the god of healing, music, truth, prophecy and the sun. he is the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis. He is considered the most loved by all the Greek gods. Apollo is associated with the bow and arrow.<\/p>\n
ARTEMIS \u2013 Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and one of the pantheon gods. She is the god of hunting, nature, and Chasity. He is the daughter of Zeus and Leto. She is one of the 3 virgin goddesses, alongside Athena and Hestia.<\/p>\n
CRONOS \u2013 Cronos was the king of the 12 titans. He is the god of time. He is the son of Gaia and Uranus. Cronus is known for castrating his father Uranus with a sickle handed by his mother Gaia and he is also known for starting the Titanomachy, a war between the 12 titans and the 12 pantheon gods lead by Zeus.<\/p>\n
DEMETER \u2013 Demeter is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister and consort of Zeus. She is the goddess of agriculture, harvest, and fertility. She is also one of the 12 pantheon gods that live in mount Olympia.<\/p>\n
DIONYSUS \u2013 Dionysus is the god of wine, loosening, freedom, wine making, and wild animals. He is the son of Zeus and Semele. He is one of the 12 Olympians. His powers including being boundless, wine making and shape shifting into animals.<\/p>\n
GAIA \u2013 Gaia is the personification of earth and the mother of all life. She is the primordial deities, with her Son Uranus she made the titans and Pantheon Gods, she made the sky and the ocean, she is also the daughter or Chaos. <\/p>\n
HADES \u2013 Hades is the god of the underworld. He is the son to Cronus and Rhea and the brother to Zeus and Poseidon Demeter, Hera, and Hestia. He is well known for his help in killing his father Cronus alongside with his brothers Zeus and Poseidon.<\/p>\n
HEPHAESTUS \u2013 Hephaestus is the god of metal work and fire; he is the one of the 12 original Olympians. He is the son of Hera and Zeus. He is known for his craftmanship and deformity, he is considered to be the ugliest of the gods.<\/p>\n
HERA \u2013 Hera is the Queen of the Gods and the sister and wife of Zeus. She is one of the 12 original Olympians as well. She is the goddess of marriage and birth. She is known for being jealous and vengeful to many of Zeus infidelity and Zeus\u2019s offspring.<\/p>\n
HERACLES \u2013 Known also as Hercules and Herakles, Heracles is the demigod of strength and heroes, he is the son of Zeus and Alcmene his powers are superhuman strength durability, stamina and endurances, he is well known amongst demigods for his strength and his journey to become a god.<\/p>\n
HERMES \u2013 Hermes is the god the trade, wealth, trickery, sleep, and travel. He is the son of Zeus and Maia; he is one of the 12 original Olympians and a major deity. Known for his trickery from birth. He is considered the cleverest and mischievous of the gods.<\/p>\n
HESIOD \u2013 Hesiod is the ancient Greek poet responsible for the Theogony, a genealogy for Greek gods and their kens, and their origins. Told in narratives to tell the tales of how the heavens and earth came about. Work and Days, He also wrote about the same time as Homer, another Ancient Greek poet. <\/p>\n
HOMER \u2013 Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the oldest poems of Greek literature. These poems include the ten-year story of the trojan war between the reeks and the Achaeans to get Helen back to her spartan husband.<\/p>\n
ORPHEUS \u2013 Orpheus is a musician, poet, and prophet in Greek mythology, he is the son of a muse and a king. He is considered the best musician and poet. He was taught by Apollo to play the Lyre, a classical Greek instrument like a harp.<\/p>\n
PERSEPHONE \u2013 Persephone is the goddess of vegetation, rebirth and the wife of hades. She is the queen of the underworld where she rules with Hades. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. <\/p>\n
PERSEUS \u2013 Perseus is a Greek hero known for being the founder of the Mycenae and the Persoid dynasty. He is a demigod, the son of Zeus and Dana\u00eb, he\u2019s well known for his adventures, and the greatest slayer of monsters, like medusa.<\/p>\n
POSEIDON \u2013 Poseidon is the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He is the brother of Zeus and hades and is a chief deity. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea; He can control the sea and all the aquatic life that lives there. He is also one of the 12 original Olympians. <\/p>\n
SISYPHUS \u2013 Sisyphus was a king of Ephyra cheated death twice by chaining the god of death. He is known for his punishment bestowed by Zeus eternally rolling a boulder up a hill in hades only for it to never reach the top.<\/p>\n
ZEUS \u2013 Zeus is the sky god, he is the king of the gods in mount Olympian he is the son of Cronus and Rhea, one of the 12 pantheon gods and the brother and husband to Hera. He is the most popular amongst the gods, known for his constant infidelity and his cruel nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
26 Z.G. \u201cThe Mythology Mind\u201d September 30th, 2020 FINAL DRAFT To Professor Thibodeau, Welcome to my Digital notebook. In this digital notebook I want to have a better understanding of Mythology in whole from what I already know. In organizing my digital notebook, I want to treat it as a journal of some sort, to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-88988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88988\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}