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CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY | CLASS 7: SEP 28, 2015 T H E O LY M P I A N S AND THE AGES OF HUMANITY & WORLD OF MYTH DR. MICHAEL GRIFFIN CLASSICS & PHILOSOPHY S O C R AT E S . A R T S . U B C . C A / 1 0 5 earthhdwallpapers.com T O D AY • From last week • Myth, Prehistory & The World of Myth • The Olympians • Demeter Apollo • Hermes Aphrodite • Dionysus THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA T O D AY • From last week • Myth, Prehistory & The World of Myth • The Olympians • Demeter Apollo • Hermes Aphrodite • Dionysus THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA DOWDEN, CH. 4 MYTH & PREHISTORY? T H E C R E AT I O N O F H U M A N I T Y • The Five Ages (Hesiod’s Myth of the Metals) • Two interpretations (among many) that we might entertain • Historical • Allegorical (Following Plato) T H E C R E AT I O N O F H U M A N I T Y • The Five Ages (Hesiod’s Myth of the Metals) • Historical interpretation: the Golden Age recalls a different climactic and cultural period, when an earlier (preGreek) generation of gods, possibly matriarchal, ruled Greece • Minoan culture (cf. Dowden ch. 4) • Gaia and Kronos, as rulers of harvest, might represent the Mother and Son gods of that culture, “overthrown” by the skygod Zeus brought by the IndoEuropeans S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E S I D E B A R : M I N O A N C U LT U R E T H E C R E AT I O N O F H U M A N I T Y • The Five Ages (Hesiod’s Myth of the Metals) • Allegorical interpretation (Plato) • The metals (gold, silver, bronze, iron) represent qualities of the psychē motivated by • Wisdom • Good intentions • Reputation • Desire • We can cultivate any of these qualities: an optimistic view! DOWDEN, CH. 8 THE WORLD OF MYTH THE WORLD OF MYTH: DOWDEN CH. 8 • The Greek landscape is shaped (and remembered) through myths (8.1). Outside (8.2): • The cultivated world is civilized: Demeter • The rustic world is less civilized: Pan, Nymphs • The wild is more frightening: Artemis • Beyond is the unknown, distant lands • Especially in the wild, monsters pose challenges for heroes like Heracles (8.3) • We’ll address these “hero” tales further next week. THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA T O D AY • From last week • Myth, Prehistory & The World of Myth • The Olympians • Demeter Apollo • Hermes Aphrodite • Dionysus THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA THE HOMERIC HYMNS • Collection of 33 hymns in Homeric metre (dactylic hexameter) • Likely preludes to major recitations by rhapsodes at competitions and festivals • Rhapsodes are preservers and interpreters of the oral lineage of the Homeric and Hesiodic traditions, binding together the Greek-speaking world • THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA T H E O LY M P I A N S Hestia Aphrodite Hermes Ares Demeter Hephaestus Poseidon Zeus Hera Athena Apollo Artemis FRAGMENT OF A HELLENISTIC RELIEF (1ST CENTURY BC – 1ST CENTURY AD) : THE TWELVE OLYMPIANS (WALTERS ART MUSEUM) Hestia Hermes Aphrodite (sceptre): (winged cap & staff): (veil): Hearth & Home Travel, communication Love, sex Ares (helmet & spear): War, struggle Demeter (sheaf): Agriculture Hephaestus (staff): Crafts Hera (sceptre): Family Poseidon (trident): Sea Athena (owl & helm): Wisdom, battle Zeus (thunderbolt): Sky, Justice Artemis (bow): Hunting, Girls, Moon Apollo (lyre): Medicine, Prophecy, Sun Source: Wikimedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_tree_of_the_Greek_gods) T O D AY • From last week • Myth, Prehistory & The World of Myth • The Olympians • Demeter Apollo • Hermes Aphrodite • Dionysus THE BUTTERFLY NEBULA DEMETER AND PERSEPHONE DEMETER • Spheres of influence: nature, fertility, the earth • Daughter: Persephone • When Persephone is abducted into the underworld by Hades, Demeter goes into grieving • The world’s crops don’t grow during her grief APOLLO APOLLO • Spheres of influence: the Sun and light; music and culture; oracles, archery, medicine and disease • Symbols: Lyre, laurel wreath, bow and arrows • Sister: Artemis • Parents: Zeus & Leto HERMES HERMES • Spheres of influence: Messengers and heralds; travellers; mediation between humans and gods; guide of souls; speech and oratory; commerce; trickery and thieves • Attributes: winged sandals, caduceus, rounded hat (petasus), cloak, lyre HERMES • Birth and childhood • Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas) HERMES • Birth and childhood • Son of Zeus and Maia (daughter of Atlas) • Invents the Lyre • Theft of Apollo’s cattle • Worship: bringer of prosperity and fortune; the herms On next slide: Black-Figure Painting Hermes in Crib with Zeus, Apollo, and Maia. Black-figure hydria, from Caere (Cerveteri), ca. 500 B.C.; 17 in. in height. This vase is one of a number of vases known as Caeretan Hydrias, which represent a similar style of treatment and craftsmanship. Most of these vases have been discovered at Caere in Southern Eturia in Italy, hence the name. One of the marked features of the style is a playful sense of humor, which is perfectly suited to recount the exploits of the infant Hermes. Just behind Apollo are the stolen cattle, shielded from the main scene by a tree with luxuriant foliage. Apollo delivers his accusations against the baby Hermes, snugly nestled in his crib, to an indulgent Zeus and Maia, who defend him. Caduceus vs Rod of Asclepius Mercury, by Giovanni Bologna (known as Giambologna, 1529–1608); bronze, 1576; height 25 in. Giambologna has taken the classical attributes of Hermes—the petasus, caduceus, and winged sandals— and combined them with the nude figure of a running man to create a masterpiece of Late Renaissance Mannerism. DIONYSUS • Spheres of influence: the harvest; wine; ritual and mystic madness; fertility; and theatre • Symbols: the thyrsus (fennel staff with a pinecone crown); the grape and grapevine; animals, especially great cats • Birth: from Zeus and Semele, by way of Zeus’ thigh Michelangelo’s Bacchus DIONYSUS DIONYSUS • Essential characteristics • “Release” through music and dance • Possession of followers (Maenads & Satyrs) Michelangelo’s Bacchus DIONYSUS DIONYSUS DIONYSUS DIONYSUS • Some stories • Dionysus and the pirates • The Bacchae (Pentheus) Michelangelo’s Bacchus DIONYSUS