CLA 2323 Lecture 6: Week 3 - Session 2
19 Jun 2018
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CLA 2323: Greek Mythology
Week 3: Thursday, May 17, 2018
The Myths of Heroes
Apollodorus: wrote in prose, a handbook of Greek mythology
o"The Bibliotheke"
oIn English, it is referred to as "The Library"
Meaning the collection (of compressed Greek myths)
oHe is our main source for the story of Perseus, Bellerophon, and Heracles
oHe lived during the Roman Empire: 100 A.D.
oHis name means "gift of Apollo"
Apollodorus is not to be confused with Apollonius of Rhodes
oPoet, lived earlier than Apollodorus
oWrote about Jason and the Argonauts
oHis name means "of Apollo" or "belonging to Apollo"
The Heroes
Hero: he is human, therefore he will die. During life, he is capable of superhuman things, but he
cannot survive fatal injury. Usually he is stronger or smarter than the average man, with greater
endurance and bravery than them. He is this way because, often, he is the son or descendant of a
god.
oAge of heroes begin when Zeus and other male gods descend to earth to have sex with
mortal women
oUsually, the sex is not consensual
Women get pregnant (always with Zeus)
Almost always, it is a male who is born
oGenetically, heroes are better than humans because they have the divine seed
oNormally they are a warrior, whose skills are channeled for the benefit of humanity
Sometimes not warriors, but men who invent some form of civilizing skill
Ex. Triptolemos (agriculture), Asklepios (medicine), Orpheus (musician)
Aristaeus: son of Apollo, who brought many rustic skills like beekeeping and
cheese making
oMost heroic stories are constructed violently
"Violence is constructive"
Coming of Age Stories
Transitioning from childhood to adulthood
Most stories are about young men (16-18 years), who have to do some kind of extreme test at a
fairly young age
8 ingredients of a Greek coming of age story:
1. The hero is a son of Zeus or some other god: Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, or Aphrodite
2. His adventure is a coming-of-age tale, when he is about 18 years old
3. He must destroy a monster, whose removal will aid humanity
4. The hero's patron deity is (usually) Athena (who is the patron of heroes)
5. The hero receives supernatural weapons/tools to help his quest
pg. 1
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6. The monster lives at the end of the world - not always, but sometimes in the west
(which is a symbol for death, because this is where the sun sets)
7. The hero finds (female) romance in his quest
8. After the successful adventure, his myth describes some further civilizing contribution
by him
Story of Perseus: he comes home, and becomes a ruler and founded Mycenae: "Perseus
founded Mycenae"
1. Greek mythology sought to explain the world as it is right now, and its origins
The myth is explaining some aspect of life to the audience, that was somewhat
recognizable
Aetiology (eat-iology): an explanation of the origin of something, which are often very
inaccurate, just fun
1. The myth's (ridiculous) explanation for the origin of something
Prometheus wants to trick Zeus into accepting the inferior aspect of sacrifice elements
1. He tricks Zeus into accepting the inferior back (bones and hardly any meat)
This is intended as an aetiology to explain the custom of sacrifice, where
humans can eat meat of dead animal and its bones will be given to the gods
"Sacrifice" is kind of ironic
Aetiology is part of these myths
1. Usually coming in the end of the coming of age stories
The Story of Perseus
Page 104
Perseus and Theseus might be two of the earliest Greek myths
Story begins in Argos
In NE corner of Peloponnese: Argos
oThis was the heartland of Mycenaean cities in ancient Greece
Story begins in Bronze Age
King of Argos is Akrisios, who hears a prophecy that his daughter's son will overthrow him by
killing him
oAkrisios tries to thwart the prophecy by making sure his daughter never marries
He locks Danae in a tower, similar to a prison, never to be released
Danae is very beautiful, and catches the eye of Zeus
To get into the tower, Zeus visits her in the form of a shower of gold
oGold dust, tiny particles
Zeus impregnates her, and she bears a son
Akrisios is infuriated by the boy - Perseus, meaning "destroyer"
oHe decides to kill both Danae and Perseus
Survival of baby is helped because of the ineptitude of the killer
oAkrisios traps them both in a chest and throws them into the sea
Chest does not sink, but comes ashore on the Aegean island of Seriphos
King Polydektes reigns there, who falls in love with Danae (Perseus does not approve)
oPolydektes wants to get rid of Perseus, but he eventually tells him that he's sending
Perseus on a misson: I want you to destroy Medusa
He did this with the intention of killing Perseus
Perseus slays Medusa, first getting help from Hermes, Athena, and the Graiai (3 witches),
meaning "Grey women"
oAdamant: made-up metal
pg. 2
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