GRS 381 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Theogony, Soter, Maenad

• School: University of Victoria
• Department: Greek and Roman Studies
• Course: GRS 381
• Professor: Erkstein

Document Summary

Epic poets: homer: 750 bc iliad + odyssey, hesiod: 700 bc theogony. Polytheistic -> ancient greeks worshipped many gods. Greek pantheon (athens) = 12 olympian divinities resided on mount olympus. Like christianity the gods are invisible and immortal although gods could change their shape whenever they pleased. Not all powerful, nor are they aware of everything, nor are they everywhere at once they are bound by their own limits. Nor where they exceptionally loving to man kind, mostly indifferent to humans. Hera = (cid:858)our lady(cid:859: marriage, family, women, child birth and human fertility, cult centres: argos and samos. 480 bc -> (cid:858)poseido(cid:374) oter at u(cid:374)iu(cid:373: god of earthquakes (cid:858) haker of the earth(cid:859) (cid:858)asphaleios(cid:859) -> a god who keeps things steady and secure (cid:858)hippos(cid:859) -> horses. Demeter -> goddess of the grai(cid:374) (cid:858)grai(cid:374) (cid:373)other(cid:859: agricultural fertility, mother of persephone/kore, cult centre: eleusis.