3. DEMETER & PERSEPHONE/KORE

4. GAIA
Mesopotamia, - Inanna, Ishtar, or Astarte
Phrygian goddess CYBELE
Egyptian goddess ISIS.
Represent single religious figure whose cults and myths spread across racial and linguistic lines to exert enormous influence – The GREAT GODDESS.
Greek goddess closest to Great Goddess = DEMETER.

5. Mother goddess who oversaw fruitfulness of agriculture, especially wheat.
“wheat mother”
Demeter and Persephone “the goddesses”.
Persephone = KORE, “daughter” or “girl”.
Aspects of a single figure - often called the Two Demeters or the Two Goddesses.

6. Myth of DEMETER AND PERSEPHONE

11. Observations:
Ancient times – interpreted as agricultural allegory. Hades = the earth & Persephone (or Kore) = grain buried in the earth. Kore’s return = growth of the wheat crop.
Modern scholars – does not correspond with facts of Greek agriculture. In hymn P/K returns in spring. Wheat crop does not sprout in spring.
One level – human story exemplifies condition of Greek women.
Parallels to Near Eastern myths suggest further interpretations of the story of Demeter and Persephone AND of the dual nature of Dionysus.

12. FERTILITY & Roots of Classical Myth:
Development of Classical Myth’
Prior to earliest alphabetic (classical) written records – poems of Homer c. 750 B.C., scholars have attempted to reconstruct myths or religious beliefs of prehistoric times.
Comparative material, both archaeological and linguistic.
Figurines with exaggerated sexual organs and plump buttocks and breasts.
Oldest free standing sculptures in the world
Male figures with erect penis are also found, in far fewer numbers.

13. Catal Huyuk figure.
C BC
Perhaps oldest agricultural community in the world.
Woman giving birth while sitting in a throne. Leopards.

14. Catal Huyuk figure. C. 6500-5700BC. Poss
Catal Huyuk figure. C BC. Poss. oldest agricultural community in the world. Woman giving birth in throne.

16. Elements of classical mythology developed from myths of neighboring and earlier cultures – especially in the Middle East
Tradition of prehistoric female figurine attested from the Aegean islands of the Cyclades.
Cycladic Mother figurine. C. 3000BC, 3rd millennium.
Sharp angles, planes. Found in graves of both men and women, may have been believed to have had magical power to produce new life. Possible parallel to egyptian afterlife beliefs?

17. Early Cycladic

22. Cycladic

27. Fertility, Blood and Death:

28. Mesopotamian: INANNA and DUMUZI
INANNA “Queen of heaven”, Goddess of Love and War
Lover: shepherd God DUMUZI

29. Inanna in the underworld
ERESHKIGAL
INANNA
NINSHUBUR
UR city of the moon-god NANNA
ERIDU, city of the clever god ENKI who knows the “food of life and the “water of life”.

30. lapis lazuli (VERY important in the ancient world).
Threatened gatekeeper to be allowed in. Gives gatekeeper a false explanation.
GK consulted with Ereshkigal.
She instructed the GK to lead I inward through the 7 gates of the underworld, but he was to follow “the ancient rites.”
Stripping
Inanna tries to take throne
Annanunaki gods, the seven dread judges of the underworld, condemned her to death and she at once turned into a side of meat, green with decay and was hung on a stake. Meanwhile, on earth, all sexual activity came to a halt.

31. When I. did not return, her minister N
When I. did not return, her minister N., did as he was instructed, rejected by both Enlil and Nanna, he finally went to the clever Enki.
Enki created 2 sexless creatures
KURGARRA and
KALATURRA, gave them the food and water of life (AMBROSIA to the Greeks?) and instructions.

32. Buzzing over the gates of the underworld like flies or slipping under like lizards they came to E’s chamber.
Queen of the dead grieving for the little children of the world who had died before their time,
Joined her in lamentation.
In gratitude for their sympathy E offered them anything they wanted (folktale motif of the hasty oath)
replied that they wanted the piece of green meat hanging in the corner, E. tried to dissuade them with other offers but they insisted.
They threw the water and food of life on the meat, and Inanna was brought back to life.

33. Allowed to leave underworld, only if she found someone else to take her place. (Folktale motif of the substitute sacrifice).
Demons followed to ensure that she complied.
In 1st 2 cities, local gods mourning for her in sackcloth and dirt.
In country of DUMUZI, Inanna’s husband, instead of mourning for her or grieving he was dressed in finery and sitting on a throne.
Inanna looked at him with a look of death and shouted to the demons, “take this one!”

34. Dumuzi cried out for help to the sun god UTU, lord of justice, Inanna’s brother, but demons got him anyway – trapped in his own sheepfold – one struck him with a piercing nail and the second with a shepherd’s crook. Butter churns overturned. Dumuzi struck dead and sent to underworld. One day each year her could return to the world above where rituals would be performed in his honor.

35. DYING GOD AND SACRED MARRIAGE:
Irrigation agriculture.
Impregnating water, receptive life-giving earth. From earth grow life-sustaining crops, cut down at harvest only to grow again. Cycle of life, death and renewal of life.
Cycle of life, death & renewal of life embodied ion Inanna, descent to underworld – end of fertility on earth – return = resurrection of herself AND life on earth. Renewed life can be purchased only at price of another’s death – consort DUMUZI  logic of ritual sacrifice.

36. Metaphor: water/earth = semen/womb
Metaphor: water/earth = semen/womb. Dumuzi connected to milk – overturning of butter churns – flowing milky white stuff like semen. Inanna like earth sequentially fruitfull and barren and fertile again. Dumuzi like necessary but expendable stuff that makes it fertile.

37. Association between human sexuality and agricultural productivity acted out in fact in important ritual of Mesopotamian religion. SACRED MARRIAGE (Greek hieros gamos)
king took on identity of Dumuzi and a priestess enacted the role of Innanna.
within the temple on top of the ZIGGURAT, “Dumuzi” and “Inanna” really did have sexual intercourse to guarantee a rich natural harvest

43. EGYPTIAN
ISIS
OSIRIS
SETH
HORUS
NEPTHYS

49. Holy Mother and Infant

55. Phrygian: Cybele and Attis
Myth preserved by much later Christian writer Arnobius (4th c. AD.)
Cybele born from rock in Phrygia. Asleep on rock
Zeus lusty. Struggle. Spills ‘seed’ on rock – rock became pregnant
Agdestis -Strength and violence so great is uncontrollable.
Dionysus places wine in fountain from which A. drinks.
A. drunk. D. binds A. up w/vine in such manner that when he staggered up he castrated himself.

56. From blood on earth pomegranate tree.
Nana daughter of SANGARIUS, took pomegranate into dress, became pregnant, locked up to starve but fed by Cybele.
Attis.
Castrated Agdestis became guide in hunting.
Attis set up to marry king’s daughter. Ag. Jealous, sends all wedding quests mad, begin to slice themselves up. Start yelling to worship Attis

57. Attis becomes cross and rips off his own genitals, bleeds to death.
Buried under pine, from blood grew violets. Bride to be commits suicide over grave, blood turns to violets.
Buried in common grave, almond tree grows from bodies.

58. C + Agdestis lament beg Zeus to bring him back to life,, but Z
C + Agdestis lament beg Zeus to bring him back to life,, but Z. grants only that Att not decay, hair continue to grow and little finger stay alivce and in con stant motion.
Ritual practice of self castration by the GALLI – Phrygian followers oif the Great Mother.

59. Greek: Aphrodite and Adonis
Myrrha
Adonis
Aphrodite In love with Adonis. Warned him against big game. Ad. Gored by boar. Bled to death. ANEMONE from blood.;
Understood as dying god of vegetation. Hellenistic times cult spread from Asia into Greece and Rome. Women planted seeds in shallow earth in broken crockery, seeds would sprout and quickly die. Then tore hair and clothes and wandered about lamenting the fate of beautiful Adonis.

61. All of these stories – including KORE: earth goddess seems to represent permanent fertility of the earth. In each someone dies, or at least goes into the realm of the dead. In each the death of the victim leads to new life. The mythic pattern reflects the theory and practice of blood sacrifice in religious ritual. Mythical explanation for presence of death in the world. The TWO GODDESSES are a mythic image of the close relationship between fertility and death, and why the continuing fertility of the earth cannot be separated from the inevitable presence of dth.

63. Complementary use of Persephone Myth: Allegory for loss of innocence through knowledge.

64. Lesser Gods & Divinities

65. HELIUS Son of Titans HYPERION and THEIA
God of the sun. Drove 4 horses that drew the chariot of the sun. Each day emerged in east, raced across sky and disappeared beyond westernmost horizon. During night made way east unseen to reemerge the next morning – rode the river OCEANUS around the perimeter of the earth in a gigantic golden cup.

66. Neutral during war of the Titans, greatly respected by Zeus
Neutral during war of the Titans, greatly respected by Zeus. Might have included him in the division of the universe, but was driving his chariot at the time.
Patron of island of Rhodes
Patron of Corinth – except for isthmus

67. Saw everything that happened during the day
Told Hephaestus on Aphrodite and Ares
Told Demeter about Hades abducting Persephone
Aphrodite’s revenge
Made H. fall in love with Leucothoe, daughter of Prchamus, king of Persia. Nymph Clytie, once H’s lover told O. about the affair, O. buried L. alive and H. turned her into frankincense plant. Rejected C. for her treachery, C. died of longing for H. became heliotrope plant – flowerers turn to follow sun in the sky.

68. Several children. 7 sons by Poseidon’s daughter RHODE, the nymph of his island. His wife PERSE (or Perseis) had several children including:
Aeëtes – king of Colchis – land of the Golden fleece.
Circe
Pasiphaë

69. Sisters of Helius
SELENE
EOS

70. Selene Goddess of the moon
Brought gift of moonlight from the heavens to the earth
Drove chariot of the moon drwn by 4 gleaming horses
Affairs
Pan - Gift of beautiful fleece.
Zeus – gave her daughter – PANDIA
Endymion – Zeus gave him the gift of being able to determine his own fate – chose to preserve his beauty by sleeping forever and never aging a day.

71. EOS: “rosy armed” goddess of the dawn.
Each morning rose from golden throne in palace in east to announce coming of brother Helius. Personified light of entire day – rode with Helius in his chariot.
Loved ASTRAEUS “starry”, [son of CRIUS (titan) and EURYBIA (a daughter of PONTUS and GAIA)]  Offspring =
Winds:
ZEPHYRUS (west)
BOREAS (north)
NOTUS (south)
EOSPHORUS (Dawn Star)
All the stars
Affair with Ares. Aphrodite’s Revenge : Made her fall in love with a series of mostly uninterested beautiful young men
TITHONUS: Eos asked Zeus to make him immortal – forgot to ask for eternal youth as well, aged and aged, finally aged to point that she locked him in a room in her palace forever.

72. HECATE
Originally benevolent & powerful goddess. Mysterious transformation
Daughter of PERSES a brother of ASTRAEUS and ASTERIA (a sister of Leto).
Hesiod in Theogyny says that Zeus honored Hecate greatly – gavve her share of divine power over heavens, earth and sea.
Great power to assist

73. Became force of darkness – not clear how.
May be associated with helping Demeter find Persephone. Some claim that Hecate served as an attendant of Persephone after she had become Queen of the Underworld.
In later times nearly always depicted in darker, more terrible aspects.
A Goddess of the night
Became the patron of sorcery.
After coming to a crossroads or a graveyard sorceresses and sorcerers would invoke her name in the creation of a spell. With a band of hellhounds beside her, Hecate would approach bearing a torch. If she favored the offerings presented, the spell would take hold.
The name of Hecate could be invoked to curse an enemy.
“curse tablets” in wells.

75. Hecate Battles Giants

77. STYX: goddess of the main river of Hades.
A daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. 4 sons (personified abstractions) with PALLAS a brother of ASTRAEUS and PERSES:
ZELUS (Zeal)
NIKE (victory)
CRATUS (Strength)
BIA (force)
On side of Zeus during war of Titans – Zeus rewarded her by promising to keep hers by his side for all time – also made all Olympians swear their greatest oaths to Styx.

78. SEMI-DEITIES
SATRYS
SILENS: Older, wiser version of satyrs
NYMPHS: minor female nature deities
DRYADS: wood nymphs who live in trees
HAMADRYADS: Nymphs who lived in oak trres
MELIAE: Nymphs of ash trees
NAIADS: Water nymphs of springs, rivers, lakes, fountains & brooks
OREADS: Nymphs of mountains and grottos

80. UNDERWORLD CONTINUED

81. “Underworld” not always most appropriate term for place of the dead – “death realm” more appropriate. Not always located especially DOWN – normally so, but many other idea – for instance a place far off horizontally to the WEST (as in Oddessy), also idea of it as way up in the sky.

82. Greek view of dth “natural dth” relatively uncommon
did not necessarily seem to come inevitably in the ideal course of things
felt to be caused by hostile external forces: from the natural world, from mortal enemy or from the supernatural realm of gods, spirits, ghosts, witches and wizards
Attributed powers of choice and action to everything that existed.
Even when dth caused by obvious external cause, still could be the result of a god’s whims.

83. Any god could cause dth to a mortal, but HADES (“the unseen one”) played a special role, dd were buried in earth and Hades was associated with the realm below the earth’s surface.
Also known as
Pluto “the enricher”
From beneath the earth comes mineral and agricultural wealth.
Romans – took Greek PLUTO, but also called him DIS “rich”, called the dth god’s realm ORCUS – probably “the place which confines”.
Further Epithets:
POLYDEGMÔN: “receiver of many”.
POLYXENOS: “Host to many”.
Often avoided using real name..

85. Land model
The Underworld was divided into two or more main regions. Erebus was the upper region, while Tartarus was the lowest region, where most of the Titans were imprisoned.
Erebus, Tartarus
Rivers
OKEANOS (Ocean),
STYX (forgetfull)
ACHERON (“grief”)
KOKYTOS (Cocyteus (?)) (“wailing”)
Phlegethen (?) (“fiery”)
CHARON – THe ferryman

86. House Model: House of Hades Hades, Persephone, Kerberos (Cerberus)
Transport
Hermes Psychopompus
Charon
ELPENOR – necessity of proper burial.
Three minor gods in the Underworld, acted as judges and presided over the souls of the dead. Minos & Rhadamanthys, sons of Europa, & Aeacus, the son of Aegina.

87. According to Apollodorus, Cerberus was a strange mixture of creatures: three heads of wild dogs, a dragon or serpent for a tail, and heads of snakes all over his back.
Hesiod says that Cerberus had fifty heads and ate raw flesh. “. . . A monster not to be overcome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong.”
Hesiod, Theogony  Cerberus' parents were Echinda (half-woman, half-serpent) & Typhon (a fire-breathing giant covered with dragons and serpents).

95. Charon

98. Most mortals would find their final resting place in the Plain of Asphodel, which was part of the Erebus region.
The shades that dwelled here have no memories of their former lives. The place was gray and gloomy, but the shades who populated this region will experience neither joy, nor sorrow.
Exceptions:
The punished: Ones who led a wicked life, were sent down to Tartarus and punished for their crime or sin. Among the notable figures to be punished in Tartarus, were Tityus, Ixion, Sisyphus and Tantalus.
The rewarded: Only a few mortals will ever gain entry to the Elysian Fields. The Elysian Fields was also part of the region in Erebus. Elysian Fields cf. Isles of the Blessed. – normally just for the partly divine?

99. Both Erebus and Tartarus were said to be the primordial gods, who became personifications of these two regions. Erebus (Darkness) was the son of Nyx (Night) and perhaps of Chaos. While Tartarus was born or came into existence at the same time as Gaea or Ge (Earth) and Eros (Love).

100. Most believed mortals continued to exist in attenuated form
Most believed mortals continued to exist in attenuated form. Soul survived as an “image” EIDOLON, dwelling in a separate realm.

101. Traditionally the soul was associated with the breath – Greek PSYCHÊ originally meant ‘breath”, Latin SPIRITUS “spirit” means “breath”. Soul retains air-like quality – dd exist as ‘ghosts’ invisible bodiless breath-souls known through their effects. Lead dark shadowy existence in the underworld realm occasionally emerge to haunt world of living – especially when not given proper rituals.
Some work to protect human interests
Some bring misfortune & mischief through envy
Some are bent on revenge.

102. Many customs originated in the need to appease the spirits
Destruction/inhumation of personal possessions – attempt to show that no-one profited by the person’s demise. Rituals of mourning – dark and gloomy clothing, tearing of hair and scratching of face and breasts by fem. Mourners
Special ‘house’ for spirit
Food offerings
Songs and eulogies
Even, in myth, sacrifice of slaves
Also various destructions and confinement of body – inhumation, dismemberment, cremation, binding of body or burial under large stone. Oedipus – feet of exposed infant pinned together to prevent ghost of infant from walking.

103. Considered stupid and easily confused – could be lost on way to otherworld – HERMES led them in the capacity of PSYCHOPOMPUS – ‘soul-guide’.

105. ELPENOR – necessity of proper burial.

107. Thought to be frightened away by loud noises – wailing at funerals OR noisemakers at weddings.
Allowed 1 or 2 nights where could intermingle w/living.
Ancient Athenian spring festival of ANTHESTERIA

108. Adventures in the Underworld

109. PEIRITHOUS and THESEUS

110. Adventures in the UW: Tartarus Edition.

111. SISYPHUS
Son of AEOLUS king of THESSALY, heir to throne. Brother SALMONEUS took throne from him. Sorceress MEDEA gave him throne of EPHYRA (later CORINTH).
Married MEROPE, only one of the seven PLEIADES (daughters of the TITAN ATLAS and PLEIONE) to have married a mortal. 3 children:
GLAUCUS: inherited throne. Renowned horseman, Fed horses on human flesh. After losing a race devoured by his own mares.
ORNYTION
SINON: convinced Trojans to bring Trojan horse inside the city

112. Sisyphus- “craftiest of men” according to Homer.
AUTOLYCUS – notorious thief (son of HERMES) – could change the form of anything he stole. Stole catle from S’ herd. S secretly marked the inside of his cattle’s hooves. S. seduced ANTICLEIA, daughter of Autolycus.
TYRO.

113. Did many negative things
Did many negative things. However, his fate in the underworld came not from doing ‘evil unto his fellow man’ but from attempting to outsmart the gods.
Zeus
ASOPUS – river god, son of Poseiedon, looking for vanished daughter Aegina. S. promised to tell A. what had happened in return for the god creating an eternal spring for Corinth.
Once he had done so S. named Zeus as the abductor. Z. had done it, but still wanted to punish S. Sent THANATOS (death) after him.
S. managed to outwit death, and actually imprisoned him in his house. When death was imprisoned, no-one could die – not even the those who needed to.
Finally war god Ares freed death and gave S. over to him.

114. Before descending to the underworld instructed wife MEROPE not to bury him, give a feast, perform any sacrifices, or place a coin on his tongue for his payment to CHARON (ferried the dead across the river STYX).
Arrived at palace of Hades as unburied pauper. Appealed to Persephone: claimed as one of unburied w/no fare, should have been left at far side of river.
Also wife’s neglect of funeral ceremonies and sacrifices was blasphemous and would set bad example. Asked to be allowed to return for three days, to arrange funeral, punish wife and teach her proper respect.
Allowed to go home, reneged on promise to return in 3 days, and lived for many more years, but when finally died of old age condemned to eternal punishment in TARTARUS. Punishment was to forever roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, whenever he got near the top the boulder would roll back down and he would have to start all over again.

119. TANTALUS:
king of SIPYLUS (region in Lydia). Son of ZEUS and an OCEANID named PLUTO (NOT the same as the Roman underworld god!).
Married a PLEIADE – DIONE. 3 children.
NIOBE – yes, that one.
BROTEAS – refused to honor ARTEMIS, driven mad by her so thata he burned himself to death under the illusion that he was impervious to fire.
PELOPS.

120. T. was intimate and favorite of Zeus.
BUT
When guest on Olympus, stole nectar and ambrosia and gave them to mortal friends. Also divulged divine secrets.
Stole Zeus’s pet – a golden dog (or hid it for the thief PANDAREUS)

121. Then did something even worse.
Invited gods to a feast.
Killed his own son PELOPS, dismembered the body and served the flesh in a stew.
Omniscient guests saw through this and did not eat, except for distraught DEMETER who ate a piece of P.’s left shoulder. Zeus restored P. to life and Demeter gave him a shoulder of ivory.
To punish him for his blasphemy against the gods and goddesses Zeus crushed T. under a cliff of Mt. Sipylus and then condemned him to eternal torment in Tartarus. Hung from fruit tree over pool of water. Fruit always moved away from his grasp and water always receded from him when he tried to drink – eternal hunger and thirst. Also immense rock always over his head threatening to fall on him.

124. Tantalus. Willi Glasauer, Pencil drawing, 1864

125. Ixion
The most complete account of Ixion's tale comes from Pindar in his Pythian Odes.
Ixion was the son of the Phlegyas, descendent of Ares, and king of the Lapiths in Thessaly.
known as the first human to shed kindred blood. This occurred when Ixion invited his father-in-law, Deioneus, to come and collect the price that Ixion owed him for his bride. Upon his arrival, Deioneus fell into a pit filled with burning coals Ixion had camouflaged.
Crime new to the human race, nobody could purify Ixion and he wandered an exile. Zeus took pity on him and decided not only to purify Ixion, but to invite him to Olympus as a guest.
Once in Olympus though, Ixion got interested in Hera, and wanted to sleep with her. Zeus did not believe that Ixion would be so disrespectful as to try for the wife of his host.
Made an image of Hera out of a cloud, and Ixion impregnated it. The cloud bore the monster Centaurus, unloved by the Graces and had no honor among men or the gods. Centaurus mated with the mares of Mt. Pelion in Magnesia, and so from Ixion the race of centaurs was born.
To punish him, Zeus bound Ixion to a winged (sometimes flaming) wheel, which revolved in the air in all directions. Also, by order of the gods, Ixion was forced to call out continuously call out: "You should show gratitude to your benefactor." Ixion became one of the more famous sinners on display on Tartarus, and most writers mention him when describing the place. For example, Ovid wrote of him, and Vergil, with his moralistic interpretation of how sin should be punished, awards Ixion a special mention in the Aenead.

127. The Danaids the fifty daughters of King Danaus
forty-nine of them are sentenced to eternally fill bottomless/broken vesels with water.
Their father leaves Egypt and settles in Argos while he fears that he will be assassinated by his brother King Aegyptus and his fifty sons. The fifty sons come to Danaus and ask for the girls’ hands in marriage. Danaus consents but under false pretense.
On the wedding night, Danaus ordered his daughters to kill their husbands with daggers. All the Danaids kill their husbands but one; Hypermnestra loves her Lynceus and refuses.
The remaining Danaids marry the Argives who have won their favor. However, Lynceus avenges the deaths of his brothers and kills all 49 of the Danaids and in Tartarus they receive the punishment of filling bottomless barrels with water.

132. Adventures in the Underworld Continued.
Orpheus in the Underworld.

133. Poet & lyrist
Poss. Greatest of all musicians in Greek myth.
Son of Apollo and Calliope, muse muse of epic poetry
Became master of the lyre, playing enchanted every living thing. Soothed savage beasts and moved all of nature.
As young man joined journey of Jason and the Argonauts – playing saved the ship from fighting AND from the SIRENS.

134. In homeland of TRHACE fell in love with EURYDICE and married her – happieness like none before.
Beekeeper ARISTAEUS, also son of Apollo also wanted Eurydice.. When she fled from him she stepped on a venomous serpent which bit her and died from the poison.
Orpheus could not live without her, together with his lyre wnet down to the underworld.
Even in the underworld his playing proved to be enchanting, the ferryman CHARON, the three-headed guard dog and the three Judges of the Dead all let him pass. Even the damned received release from their tortures while he played.
Even Hades and Persephone gave into it. Agreed to return Eurydice to life – catch – As he returned to the uperworld, he could not turn back and look at her until they were boith in the light of the sun. BUT he did look back and she faded away, becoming a shadow.
O. could not get back to the underworld.

135. Did not live long.
Multiple versions
Established rite to sacrifice to his father Apollo calling him greatest of all gods – pissed of Dionysus for O.’s refusal to honor him, sent maenads to tear him apart and they ripped him up
Maenads each wanted O. for herself and refused to give up her claim and they ripped him up
O’s continuing fidelity to Eurydice and renunciation of love forever enraged women of Thrace and they ripped him up
Mother and other muses gathered scattered pieces. Buried all but the head in PIERIA – O’s birthplace and one of the favorite places of the muses. The still singing head of Orpheus and his lyre floated across the sea to the island of LESBOS. People of Lesbos buried his head and were rewarded with the gift of music. His lyre became the constellation LYRA.

136. Orpheus charms animals

141. Orpheus and Eurydice

147. Death of Orpheus

150. ODYSSEUS Lost on high seas after fall of Troy
Instructed by witch Circe to seek advice from ghost of TIRESIAS – she tells them that they will have to visit the death realm to talk to the seer Tiresias to get instructions on how to get home.
Cimmerian city - CIMMERIANS – real people. In Homer’s time lived north of black sea – was to ancient Greeks really the end of the world. Mythologized by Homer – extreme west by river Ocean which separated the land of the living from the dd. Place where sun never shines and ghosts could be approached.

151. Necromancy: “divination by means of the dead”. Necromantic rite
Necromancy: “divination by means of the dead”. Necromantic rite. Idea that the dead know more – can get to the secrets.
Psyche (pl. psychai)
Dig pit & pour in Honey, milk, wine, barely-water, blood of slaughtered sheep. Summon ghosts
Many - Minimal sensual capacity or intelligence. Only enough to sense blood and enough will to want it.
Elpenor (?) – comrade
Teiresias/Tiresias – seer
Antiklea (mother)
Heroines, esp. Epikaste (Iokasta)
Comrades: Agamemnon, Achilles, Aias (Ajax)
Heroes: Active: Minos, Orion, Herakles
Punished: Tityos, Tantalos, Sisyphus. Cf. Ixion, Danaids, Oknos (Ocnus)
ACHILLES – reply – summarizes Greek pessimistic view.

153. MONSTERS

154. Monsters Size: change from Natural size of things
Multpiplication of body parts or fewer of htem
Blend parts of different naturally ooccurring animals
Manufacturing – add some feature that doesn’t occur in nature (skin made out of metal).

155. HEROES

156. DEMIGODS & HEROES Heroes: Hero type:
Men and women of the prehistoric period – ‘Heroic Age’
Protectors
Hera – protectress
Great person of old
Usually with one mortal and one divine parent
Normally associated with a Greek deed.
Eventually died and had a ‘hero-cult’ after he died. Remains considered especially powerful.
Modern idea of hero.
In story – protagonist – most important.
Physical strength
Skill
Cleverness

157. Hesiod: timeline:
Chaos  Establishment of cosmic order (cosmos)  creation of humans  loss of paradise/degredation  Great Deluge  second creation of heroes  Age of Heroes  Historical Period.

158. Hero story
Biography, birth + Growth  dth.
Local reference
One mortal, one immortal parent
Often fits into pattern “2 father figures”
Hero finally dies since he is part mortal.

159. Hero Pattern
Birth
(blank)
quest
success
princess
revenge
rule
death

160. Hero Pattern
2 father figures: ‘mentor’ and role analogous to good or bad father: One will be beneficent or passive and one will be hostile.
Birth:
Usually born under unusual circumstances. Often includes danger for baby. Birth attended by unusual circumstances.
Blank:
Stories don’t generally say anything from after the birth to middle/late teens
Assignment of Quest:
At this point significant meeting with hostile father figure, usually in foreign land, who assigns quest in veiled attempt to destroy him.
Success:
Hero then is successful.
Then gets foreign bride – normally a princess.
Revenge:
Returns, confronts hostile father figure and destroys him.
Rule: Returns and rules:
Either founds city or rules city.
Dies