Greek Mythology Bingo

Source: Greek Mythology Bingo

Sex… in all its oddness!

First off can we speak brifly about Gaia and Ouranos? If anybody ever needed a prophylactic it was these two! They made one-eyed kids, titans, and made the freaking Ocean (maybe her water broke lol). Everyone is giving birth to everyone, some by sexual relations and others by asexual non-relations. Then from all of this mating and war, desire and hate (kind of like a script from Days of Our Lives), Aphrodite (the goddess of eros or lust emerges on the scene from “frothy” waters. Ironically the “Daughters of the Night”, if I have it correctly, spawned from the lust of Aphrodite through others… maybe this is where the term “The Lady of the Night” meaning prostitute may have come from… or I could totally be off, who knows?  Strife, on the other hand, should have never reproduced! Her kids are the type you see on Maury Povich or Jerry Springer! “You said the kid is not yours… paternity tests claim that you are WRONG!!”

Now, from my pre-class understanding, I thought that the titans were created to overthrow the gods. But now I’m reading that Kronos (a god) mated (had sex) with Rheia (a titan) and from them came a list of Greek gods that we are well acquainted with… at least from what we know from the Disney movie: “Hercules” lol! But after reading “The Coming of Zeus” I see why Disney left that out… not too kid friendly, ha! Then we see in these few following pages that the gods decided to stop having sex with everything and start killing everything. This really does sound like a mythological soap opera! And in these pages we also read how Zeus went to war with his cousins… the Titans. I guess these weren’t “kissing cousins”!?

Zeus’ first wife was Metis, well,  the first of many! But, I guess Zeus was taking his father’s actions to heart as he ate his wife, Metis. Then the unthinkable, yet aforementioned, Zeus gives birth to Athena asexually. Talk about being “mind blown”!! :0) Then Zeus got his polygamy on. Themis bore him 3 good daughters, Orderliness, Justice and Peace. Eurynome bore him Aglaia (Delight), Euphrosyne (Cheer) and Thalia (Bloom). Demeter and Hera also gave him some offspring.Then Zeus impregnated Apollo & Artemis’ mom, named Leto.

In closing, all the Greek gods were promiscuous to say the least. And from all their philandering spawned a royal womanizer, for lack of better words. No wonder Hera was a jealous wife/ sister… and the lesson we mortals should gain from all this is… DON’T INBREED!

Reddit’s AskHistorians Questions about Greek Mythology

Some of you might know of the site Reddit, either because you are a user yourself or because you’ve read some not-that-great stuff about some of its badly-behaving users.  Much of the site is harmless, and some is vile, but the subreddit AskHistorians is a good resource, in no small part because the moderators usually insist that anyone who answers these questions have some sort of historical expertise and/or cite authoritative sources to support their answers.

Here are some threads on Greek Myth that you might enjoy reading:

Did the Greeks really believe in their gods?

Were the Titans the gods of a pre-Greek society that was supplanted?

When did Greek Mythology as a religion die off?

And many other questions about Greek and Roman mythology

Like all the the links I post here, you do not have to read them (although I try to pick things that you might enjoy).  If a text is required reading, I’ll put it on the course shell.

Nature

Greek myths state that creation came from nothing, Out of Chaos comes the earth and a force of attraction.  Some of our current theories about creation are God created the earth and everything on it and atomic crashes created simple organisms that turned into life.  The Greek myth about creation is very similar to the story in the Bible where there’s earth or Gaia and from her comes day, night, sky, land, animal life and human life.   Nature plays a key role in the creation of things.  Earth and Sky produce offspring of Lightning and thunder.  The Goddess Aphrodite came from the sea.  The Greeks believed that nature was controlled by the gods and it could be deadly or life-saving.  They believed that nature should be treated with respect.  When humans were created they had no respect for nature.  It soon showed that humans would turn the world into a hostile place so the gods had to stop them.  The Gods created a stunning woman named Pandora.  They gave Pandora a jar and told her not to open it.   But intrigue got the best of her, she opened the jar and release horrible dismay, disease and hunger into the world.   This story reminds me of several Biblical stories of temptation including that of Eve and the poison apple.   In today’s world many believe that you create your environment just like Pandora’s curiosity caused so much distress.  If you believe you’re never going to succeed or find love or be happy then your thinking can cause you to give up, stop caring and in the end be in distress.

When Hades kidnapped Persephone, her mother was hurt and turned the world into a winter wonderland where nothing would grow.  But when her daughter returned she allowed things to grow.  From all this Persephone’s mom taught the humans about plant life which gave them the know how to never come close to starving again.  This is similar to today’s droughts and climate changes that are occurring.  Because we learn each year about the Earth and nature we have been able to sustain are food supply.

Back in these ancient times, humans were close to nature and believed the gods controlled nature.  Zeus even used nature, the thunder bolt to discipline those that went against him.  The human blamed natural disasters to the gods being angry or fighting.  The Greeks believed when you died that you went to Hades, the ruler of the underworld.  This story is coincidental to our modern beliefs of burying the dead in the ground.  Today’s world more human are becoming less and less connected to nature.  With technology and travel people are less active and aren’t exploring the natural world that we live in.   Nature and all natural things were very important in ancient times and is still very important today.  The humans of today lost respect for nature for many decades but I believe we are reversing that now.

Fate

Fate seems to be one of the most powerful forces in Greek mythology. It ruled both the God’s and the humans, regardless of how powerful they were. Fate held everybody accountable. The Fates controlled who lived and who died and when. They controlled how much good and evil each individual would have in their life. They even followed some people into the afterlife to make sure they couldn’t escape their fate. Some God’s became so obsessed with their own fate that they tried to change it, like Ouranos. Which obviously didn’t work out too well for him.

I think today people are still obsessed with their fate, even though we don’t really seem to know what our fate is. The world is full of people trying to chase down their dreams or fulfill their destinies. It’s seen in religion more than anywhere else. The Bible preaches of using willpower and agency to determine the course of our lives, but that ultimately there are things that God commands us to do and potential he wants us to live up to. The idea of a God and a Satan who are both trying to influence how we behave and what course to follow in our lives leads some people to think that their whole lives are already planned out for them. Others choose to dismiss these ideas altogether.

Again, I’m really not too well-versed in Greek mythology yet. Ive done the readings but struggle a bit to make some connections with the material. So my perspectives and interpretations might be lacking here. Reading some of your insights and thoughts have been very enlightening and I hope to be able to contribute some thoughts of my own, that won’t sound so elementary. Feedback welcome from all!

Shifting Views of Nature

Our current culture and Greek myth often look at nature in vastly different ways. The creation of nature itself, manipulation of nature, and its everyday influence on human life are addressed dissimilarly  by the two different cultures.  It is likely that a shift from a polytheistic to a predominantly monotheistic society as well as scientific advancements have changed the way we look at our physical world.

In our current era, most of western culture believes that a  single divine entity that has always existed created the heavens , earth , and all the natural beings on it. In these religions God is decidedly separate from his creation. Greek myth, however, asserts that nature was not built by a single being, but rather came from nothing or Chaos. The beings that sprang from Chaos are sentient and inseparable from nature itself. Gaia is both a divine entity and the actual earth. Similarly, Ouranos is the sky. Many gods and goddesses represent parts of nature, but also have humanlike forms.

In both cultures, we see nature being manipulated. Nature can be either manipulated by man or through divine intervention. Orpheus could, using only his lyre, affect wild animals and even move stones. Today, man still manipulates nature, but not with any magical means. We use science to change our surroundings. We build dams and cut down forests. We can genetically alter food and even harness nature to produce energy. The monotheistic God and the Greeks gods and goddesses utilize nature in similar ways. Both use natural disaster for revenge or moral retribution.  In a story resembling that of Noah and the flood, Zeus floods the Earth to rid it of a generation of humans that won’t honor the gods. Demeter, in tremendous grief for her missing daughter, nearly destroys all of humanity and ultimately changes the seasons forever.

Due to the unpredictable and destructive power of nature, ancient Greeks show a great deal of respect for nature and its respective gods. Aware of the gods wrath, they would make regular sacrifices for safe sea travel, bountiful hunts, and plentiful harvests.  Storms, floods, wild animals are just a few real threats to everyday life we see in Greek myth.  Adonis is killed by a wild boar despite a warning from Aphrodite.  Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, is killed by a snake while walking through a meadow. While we have, in today’s society, eliminated ourselves from the food chain, we are still in danger ( to a greatly diminished degree) from nature. Although we have the scientific means to deal with most natural disaster and lessen their effects, we can see through pop culture that as humans we still fear the wrath of nature.  Armageddon, Twister, San Andreas are just a few movies that address this very deeply ingrained fear.  Our society maintains its primal viewpoint of the natural world yet has sadly lost the respect and reverence for it.

Nostolgia and Myths

Zeus is set to take power and set up his “eternal order” before the gods and goddesses of Olympus. His grandfather, Ouranos and Zeus’ father,  Kronos however are not going to let Zeus take over without a fight. They try to not let the next generation mature. This can easily contrast into our own world today. It seems as though many people who are currently in power (cough, cough, congress). Have issues with relinquishing said power. Even on a smaller, closer to home scale it can be difficult for some parents to let their children grow up and become self sufficient. I understand that it is part of the protection part of having kids. This can be more scary for the parents to loose that control that they have had for so long, than for the fear of the unknown that kids can expect.

Much like the 10 year battle between Kronos and the Titans versus Zeus and the younger gods there can be a battle between taking over the mantle. This can be attributed in modern times from a nostalgia perspective. Many of the older generation see the current state that the world is and would like to change it for their “children”. The younger generation has read about what struggles their elders have gone through, however, this is just from textbooks. The older generation has memories of their struggles and strife. What many people younger and older do not understand is when they think about things that were great in the “good old days” they were much younger and with much less responsibility. True things were so much simpler when everyone was growing up, they were in elementary school and had no concept of typical parental struggles such as bills, work, and while balancing taking care of their kids.

“When human beings were fist created, they lived in perfect peace, like gods”. (Martin, 39) This was called the Golden Age. This was a time when Zeus had yet to rule and would take the place of Kronos. At this time no one knew of old age or of hardships because they have not had to deal with any yet. Once Zeus had taken over the next generation was called the Silver Age and had to deal with many hardships. I see this as an allegory for growth from a child into an adult. During your youth everything you experience is new and exciting. During many childhoods you are treated as a god (looking back on it of course). Once you start going to school and meeting people you tend to realize not everyone will treat you like the god you thought you were.

NATURE

From the readings I found the description of how the Greek’s explained natural happenings in their environment in almost all chapters. In the first chapter of the readings I looked at the “The Coming of Zeus”, and saw how he placed the rock which Kronos had swallowed and thrown up into the ground at Delphi (per the readings the rock can still be seen today) and he freed his uncles; Thunder, lightning and Flash (who gave Zeus his weapons which were named after each one of them). Releasing his uncles and placing the rock in the earth set Zeus apart and gave him power over the skies and earth. The use of Zeus as the God of the known universe gives credit to storms “The Great Flood”, Zeus used water to purify the world of the misdeeds of the mortals. The skies opened up and a deluge of water flooded the earth leaving it barren for a new start or clean slate for creation.
In book two in “The Muses and Their Offspring”, Orpheus was so renowned that he could sway wild beasts, tree’s and stones to sway with his melodic music. After reading this I thought about minor earthquakes and natural shifting of the islands. The music could be the winds and movement from seismic activity. Orpheus went to the underworld and sang a poem so he could retrieve his wife a nymph named Eurydice. Orpheus swayed Hades and the made the furies cry from his sorrow. He was told to take his wife but never look back. Orpheus looked back and his wife receded into the darkness. After reading this it can be attributed to winter arriving early and crops dying.
In book three the beginning explains why allegorically the god’s were being re-introduced to the world in a more harmonious manner. Per the reading all of Zeus’s sexual conquests were explanations of fertility and irrigation. In other words the seasons and times for farmers or planters to prepare their fields, tend to their crops and finally harvest their crops (life cycle).
I enjoyed these readings and have a new insight into how myths were a way for the Greek people to explain their world. “The Great Flood”, seems to be used in alot of different cultures and makes me wonder about the magnitude of verbal and written word. I wonder how we as modern people would be able to explain nature today without the use of technology and share our observations with others.

Sins in myth and their Connection to Religion

In myth and in current religions, sin and punishment have played roles in teaching how lives should be carried out and what behaviors and activities should be avoided.

The children of Night in greek mythology closely relate to the seven deadly sins and the four horseman of the apocalypse in christianity. Should a human neglect or overemphasize one of these portions into his or her life there is great consequence to follow. Conquest compares closely to clashes and battles of the children of Night because of the deaths and land gained to accomplish the task at hand.

In the Greek myths, there are less examples of sin in mortals than in the gods themselves. Although Hades does have some equivalence to Hell in Christianity, sins in mythology are typically punished through the god’s anger towards another god or mortal. Ouranos was an example of sin in the fact that he was envious of what his children would do and the power they would have if he allowed them to live in his realm. He received his comeuppance when Kronos killed him with a sickle provided by Gaia. Judas betrayed Jesus and had been filled with guilt as a result. Both were trying to look out for themselves but ended up dead because of their sins.

Both Jesus and Prometheus were trying to give people resources so that they could live their lives in a better way. Once Prometheus was caught he was chained to a rock by Zeus for eternity. In correlation with this, Jesus was crucified after Judas had betrayed him thus the result of sin in both cases. Prometheus because of his thievery in stealing the fire back and Jesus because of Judas’ sin.

Continuing with the seven deadly sins, pride is mirrored in the myths. Narcissus faced the punishment of death after he could not stop loving his own reflection. The lessons in each of these are the same, do not get too full of yourself or bad things will happen.

In biblical times and myths alike, sins can lead to horrible fates. The goal is for people to learn from these and to not repeat mistakes that others have made.

Sex in Greek Mythology

Sex in Greek myth is very different than how we see sex today, but sex plays a major part in Greek mythology and is probably one of the most important aspects of it.

When we discuss sex within Greek mythology we must discuss Aphrodite, and a lot of myths involve her permitting sex. Aphrodite is the goddess of Love, not just love though, but primarily sex. She is one of the most powerful goddesses in all of Olympus. Love/sex is incredibly powerful.

Sex is very important in Greek myth, and some stories wouldn’t be the same without sex. Kronos cuts off his fathers (Ouranos) “member” as he was about to make love to Gaia, and because of this Aphrodite, the Giants and the Furies are born. Gaia also goes down to Tartarus to have sex with him, so that she can make Typhoeus to fight Zeus, the Gods and the Hundred-Handers. Aphrodite permits this, she lets this happen, and it almost changed the outcome of an entire war. Sex is so powerful, but also, the Olympians see it as something that just happens, that it is very natural. Zeus, for example, sleeps with many women and produces many children. Not many Olympians judge this and you can see it through Hera. In every myth that Zeus is cheating on her, it really is only her that’s angry. When Hera, for example, stops the midwife goddess (Eileithuia) from going to Apollo’s mother (Leto) to deliver him because she is angry and jealous that Zeus cheated, people go behind her back and don’t really see a problem with it. Zeus is almost always caught cheating, but there are many times that Hera has no clue because no one sees it as something she should know.  At the same time, many important heroes and gods wouldn’t be born if it wasn’t for Zeus always craving sex, which Aphrodite permits as well.

When we discuss sex in today’s culture, it is very “taboo”.  People don’t discuss sex, talk about sex or even think sex is a necessity, while in Greek mythology it seems as if it is just natural (which it is) but it’s not shameful like it is in our culture.  There is no shame in mythology when it comes to sex, sex just is. It’s fundamental for growth and for happiness. It is very much the same today, just not talked about or as important. A huge example of how different our culture is from Bill Clinton cheating on Hilary. Bill Clinton’s scandal was in the news for months. People found it shameful, even he himself did when he lied about it to many, but when Zeus slept with dozens of women he was never crucified for it like Bill Clinton was. Sex is seen very differently now than it was then.