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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

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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