Demeter (Ch 14)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Demeter, De "wheat" + meter "mother" = Goddess of the Grain
     (l.) Ceres
Domain: Dry earth, fertility goddess.
Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea, Sister of Zeus, Mother of Persephone (a.k.a. Proserpina)
Claim to Fame: Indicter of Elusian Mystery Cult, original scorned mother.
Iconography: sheaves of wheat, pillbox hat, snakes or snakelike things.
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Myths

I. Rape of Persephone: Hades abducts Persephone from Demeter (witnessed only by Hecate, but in accordance with Zeus) and drags her down to the underworld. In response, Demeter undergoes 9 days of fasting and non-bathing while she looks high and low for her daughter.
She arrives at Eleusis, disguised as an old woman, seeking refuge at Celeus and Metaneira's palace (Rulers of Eleusis). To deal with her grievances, she offers to nurse the royal couples son, Demophoon, while an attendant Iambe cheers her up. She breaks her fast only with a draught of water, barley meal, and mint.
In attempt to immortalize Demophoon, she burns away his mortal parts in a holy fire at night, then feeds him on nectar and ambrosia during the day. She is caught by Metaneira, however, who thinks she is abusing the child, until Demeter casts off her mortal guise and appears to the family in full glory.
She demands a temple be built in her honor, with an altar, cult-following, and specific rites. Demophoon remains mortal, but is revered for his divine childhood.
Demeter moves on and withdraws from the gods and mankind. The ensuing famine plagues the land, starving mankind and diminishing worshippers, so Zeus sends all deities to win her over. Inconsolable, Demeter demands Persephone's return. Hades obliges at first, but offers his wife pomegranate seeds before her departure (bloody fruit, seeds = symbol of sexual consummation, loss of virtue), thus she is not returned in the same state that she was taken in. As a result, Persephone can only spend 2/3 of the year with her mother and the Olympians, and must remain 1/3 of the year with her husband Hades.
Demeter restores fertility to the land, and promotes her mystery cult.

Interpretation

Allegorical: Hades (earth) + Persephone (seed) = sowing of seeds, seemingly dead things, to bring life when it revisits the surface.
Structural: Cycle of reincarnation present in mother/daughter relationship. Earth mother and dying loved one is revisited each cycle.
Ritualist: Rite of passage for young girl to be married by father (Zeus) to a man often twice her age. Prearranged marriage of Parthenos ("virgin"), deflowered by her berothed. Eating pomegranate symbolizes first menses, the ability to bear children.

II. Eleusian Mystery Cult: To maintain fertility of the earth, Demeter invokes a number of rites of worship to appease her. With the promise of a secret initiation, happy afterlife, and several annual processions, she installs Triptolemus, the Elusian prince,  as her sanctioned messenger to pass on her knowledge of agriculture.
     - Myo "to squint", mystai "squinters"/"initiates"
     - Hierophant, "revealer of sacred things", initiates newcomers at the Telesterion ("hall of initiation")
     - 9 days of fasting, drinking only Kykeon ("barley meal, mint, and water"), torch procession, jest
     - 3 Stages of initiation:
           1. Lesser Mysteries: springtime procession
           2. Greater Mysteries: fall procession
           3. Epopteia ("beholding"): acknowledgement of the Hierophant, obscure unknown ritual.

Dionysus (Ch 13)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Dionysus,  Dio (connection to I.E. Sky God) + nysus ("son of")
     (l.) Bacchus
     Dionysus Lysios, "the deliverer", empowers one with a state of total irresponsibility, group identity
Domain: Thrace, Phrygia (Asia Minor/Modern Turkey/Near East) and/or a party
Genealogy: Zeus + Semele
Claim to Fame: God of wine (grapes, fermentation), drunkenness, madness, ecstasy, fertility  
     (complement to Magna Mater figure, whereby she is "dry earth" he is "fluid earth"). Constant
     assertion of divinity, always an outsider, wild cult following
Iconography: Grapes, cantheros, ivy, panther skin, thyrsus (pole wrapped with ivy, topped with
     pinecone), satyrs, fauns, sileni, usually bearded, maenads.
Literature: Euripedes' Bacchae, Homeric Hymn to Dionysus

Myths

I. Birth - (Preface) Zeus + Persephone = Zagreus, but Hera has the titans dismember and devour the child. Athena manages to rescue the heart and gives it to Zeus, who swallows it before destroying the Titans. Becomes the foundation for Orphic Religion, whereby humans are believed to be born from the ashes of Titans, a harsh savage race, but posses within them the divine spark due to cannibalism.
Zeus then disguises himself as a mortal and sleeps with Semele, daughter of King Cadmus and Harmonia. Hera tries to trick her into revealing Zeus's "godhood", who complies and fries her to a crisp as he unleashes thunderbolts. Her unborn child, Dionysus, is rescued by Hermes, brought to Zeus, sewn into his thigh for gestation, and is born a second time, whereby he is raised by the Nymphs of Nyssa in the Far East.

II. Maturity - After inventing viticulture in Nyssa in the East, Dionysus is driven mad by Hera, and wanders throughout the Egypt, Syria, and Phrygia in search of a cure. He is cured by Cibele, and during his stay in Phrygia he picks up cross-dressing (associated with Eastern cultures) as well as his own entourage. Newly supported, he begins to push socially established boundaries.

Primarily characterized by orgiastic worship and Thiasus, a wild group of followers (Ekstasis, "standing outside oneself"; Enthousiasmos, "having the god within" = god in, reason out, loss of identity.)

     Thiasus:

     - Satyrs: Half man, half goat/horse ("Faun" in latin)

     - Sileni: drunken followers

     - Maenads: "mad women", clad in leopard skins and snake headbands, wielding thyrsus.

     - Bacchae/Bacchantes: the original groupies (human)

     Rituals:

     - Satyrs chasing Maenads (promotion of sexual licentiousness and violence)

     - Sparagamos, "tearing" apart of live flesh

     - Omophagy, "eating raw flesh" while still alive

     - Animal sacrifice (ie. rabbits, squirrels, dogs, etc)

IV. Midas and the Golden Touch - King Midas of Phrygia captures Silenus, the lead Sileni of the Thiasus famed for his tall tales. For his return, Dionysus grants Midas one wish. King Midas's golden touch becomes a gift and a curse, as he can no longer eat, drink, or touch those he loves, so he washes it out in the Pactolus River, which now flows with gold.

V. Resistance to Dionysus:
1. Dionysus and his Thiasus are prevented passage through Thrace by Lycurgus (King of Thrace), so Zeus drives the king blind/mad.
2. Proetids, daughter of Proetus (King of Argos) refuse the new religion of Dionysus along with the women of Argos. Dionysus plagues them with a nasty itch that can only be soothed by wild behavior, shouting, and dancing.
3. Dionysus is abducted and bound by sailors, who think he is a mere mortal. When the bonds miraculously fall off, they still refuse to acknowledge his divinity, so the ship starts to flow with wine and creep with ivy. Dionysus transforms into a lion and the crew jumps into the sea, becoming dolphins.
4. Upon Dionysus' return to Thebes, his divinity is rejected by Pentheus, King of Thebes, his own cousin, despite the warnings of Cadmus (former king) and seer Tiresias. As a result, the women of Thebes are driven to insanity, and wander about Mt. Citharon behaving badly. Pentheus has a mysterious stranger arrested, who thwarts his imprisonment and drives Pentheus insane with double vision, loss of identity, and the curiosity to spy on the maddened women of Thebes. Naturally, he is caught and torn to pieces, head mounted on a stake and paraded through Thebes by his own mother. Thebes regains their senses and realize the legitimate power of Dionysus, affirming him as their deity.

Artemis (Ch 10)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Artemis
     (l.) Diana
     Potnia Theron, "mistress of the animals"
     Kourotrophos, "protector/destroyer of the young" (See Niobe)
     Phoebe, "bright", "shining" (alike to Phoebus, her brother)
     Identified with Selene ("cold/white/chaste") Hecate (Chthonian deity of crossroads, ghosts,
     and black magic) and the Magna Mater fertility goddess.
Domain: Ambiguous non-hellenic origin with significant Asia Minor connections to fertility deity.  
     Temple of Artemis at Ephesus once one of seven wonders of the world.
Genealogy: Zeus + Leto. Sister to Apollo.
Claim to Fame: Goddess of nature, animals, hunting, eternal virginity, childbirth, chase. Parthanos.
     Original femme fatal: hunts and destroys, then returns home to dance and flirt with the nymphs.
Iconography: the moon, small woodland animals, newborns, archers bow, constellations
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Euripedes' Hippolytus

Myth

I. Birth: Born on Ortygia/Delos "Quail Island" on Mt. Cynthia, then assists with the birth of her brother.
II. Tears of Niobe: Niobe, Queen of Thebes, boasts she is more deserving of honor than Leto because she has given birth to 14 Niobids (7 sons, 7 daughters). Leto hears this slander, and Zeus invokes the wrath of Apollo and Artemis who slay all 14 niobids mercilessly. Zeus manages to save Niobe, and transforms her into a rocky crag in Phrygia known for its streaming of tears down the rock face.
III. Actaeon: A wandering hunter, Actaeon, stumbles upon a glade on Mt. Cithaeron where Diana and her attendants are bathing unaware. Artemis transforms the peeping-tom into a stag and sics his own hounds on him, which tear him apart limb from limb.
III. Callisto: One of Diana's favourite attendents Callisto (from Calliste, "most beautiful") is seduced and impregnated by Jupiter. As a result she is exiled along with her newborn child, Arcas, but transformed into constellations: Callisto into a Ursa Major (bear), and Arcas/Arctophylax/Arcturus/Bootes into Ursa Minor.
IV. Orion (Sirius, "dog"): A hunter and worshipper of Artemis from the island of Chios, Orion persues Merope (daughter of Oenopion, King of Chios). Her father gets Orion drunk and blinds him when he is passed out, forcing him to wander East where Helius restores his site. He then tries to rape Artemis, who sics a scorpion (Scorpius) on him and stings him to death. The two are preserved as constellations in the heavens.
V. Hippolytus (chaste devotee of Artemis): Aphrodite causes his step mother, Phaedra, to fall in love with him. She reveals her secret only to a nurse, who forces her to come clean with her son-in-law. Hippolytus haughtily rejects Phaedra, who is so hurt she commits suicide and leaves a note falsely accusing Hippolytus of rape (Potiphar's Wife motif). His father, Theseus calls down a curse, whereby his son will be killed by a "bull from the sea". In his dying hour, Artemis appears to Hippolytus and promises a cult in his honor, whereby virgins will cut their hair and lament his death, then enact vengeance on Aphrodite's favourites.

Cybele (Ch 9)

Etymology and Epithets: Cibele, Magna Mater, "The Great Goddess", Earth Mother

Domain: Phrygia, Modern Day Turkey (Near East)

Genealogy: Sprung from Phrygian rock/earth.

Claim to Fame: Fertility Goddess, one of the original deities from more primitive times.

Iconography: Hermaphroditic status, polished cone, many breasts/heads/arms, almond tree. Often attended by orgiastic worshippers alike to Dionysus' contraband.

Literature: Linear B.

Myth

I. Birth: Sprung autonomously from the Phrygian earth, Cybele was originally hermaphroditic in nature, but castrated herself to attain female identity (indicates prevalence of ancient matriarchal societies). From her severed male genitalia, an almond tree sprouted.

II. Followers: Attended by the Corybantes ("whirlers"), who wield drums, cymbals, and horns, as well as Galli, eunuchs who took Cybele's castration as an example for them to follow. Also picked up by priests as justification for the castration of youth in ancient times.

III. Attis: One day Nana (water nymph, daughter of River Sangrios), picked a blossom from the almond tree, from which Attis was born 9 months later. He is abandoned however, only to be nursed by a billy goat in the wild. 

Cybele unknowingly falls for the youth, who is essentially a manifestation of her own severed genitalia (once again, theme of searching for what was lost/severed, ie. Aristophanes). Because Attis' affections lie with someone else, Cybele drives him insane due to to her jealousy. In his madness, Attis castrates himself and dies. A remorseful Cybele appeals to Zeus however, who decrees that Attis' body should never decay (quirk: only his little finger moves, and hair continues to grow).

Aphrodite (Ch 9)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Aphrodite
     (l.) Venus, ie. Venereal
     Cytherea (Island of Cythera), Cyprogenes (Island of Cyprus)
     Philommedes ("laughter loving") or Philomeides ("genital loving")
     Associated with Magna Mater (eastern fertility goddess), ie. Innana, Ishtar, Astarte, Cybele
Domain: See Epithets. Cyprus, Cythera, Near East
Genealogy:
     Aphrodite Urania ("celestial") Castration of Uranus by Cronos, genitals falling into the sea.
     Aphrodite Pendemos ("common"/"profane") Child of Zeus and Dione ("she-zeus")
Claim to Fame: Goddess of lust, romance, procreation of mammals, beauty and passion.
     A female Ares, passion without the bloodshed.
Iconography: Earliest depictions of her are of a polished cone. Attendants are Eros ("erotic"), the 3
     Gratiae/charites ("graces") personifications of femininity, and the 3 Horai ("hours"/"seasons")
     daughters of Zeus and Themis.
Literature: Hesiod's Theogony, Homer's Iliad, Ovid's Metamorphosis, Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite.

Myth

I. Priapus (bastard child of Aphrodite): A fertility daimon (demon, lesser god), Priapus is most often depicted as a small hunchbacked, ithyphallic ("erect penis") gnomelike figure. Used as an apotropaic bringer of luck commonly featured in gardens.

II. Pygmalion (King of Cyprus): Because the Cyprian women refuse to acknowledge her divnity, Venus drives them all to prostitution. Disgusted by their behaviour, Pygmalion carves an ivory statue of a nude women and subsequently falls in love with it. His prayer for it to become his wife is granted by Aphrodite, and the statue becomes flesh and blood (later versions named Galatea).

III. Myrrha: Child of Cinyras, the grandson of Pygmalion and Galatea, Myrrha is punished for her mothers hubristic claim that she is more beautiful than Venus, and falls in love with her own father. Suicidal, Myrrha's nurse arranges a secret meeting between father and child. Naturally, their identities are revealed to one another, and Cinyras attempts to strangle his own daughter, Myrrha is spared by the gods by being transformed into a Myrrh tree, whose resinous tears are collected as precious material.

IV. Adonis (adon, "lord"): The epitome of masculinity, symbol of a dying vegetative beloved.
      1. The incestuous child of Myrrha and her father, Adonis is stolen by Aphrodite at birth and given
      to Persephone to rear. When Persephone refuses to return him, Zeus interferes and arbitrates that
      Adonis shall receive 1/3 of the year with each goddess, and the last third wherever he wants.
      He decides to spend 2/3 of the year above ground, with 1/3 with Persephone, symbolic of the
      portion of the vegetative cycle reserved for fallow. He is later killed by a boar.
      2. Adonis is just another paramour of Aphrodite, who falls in love with him at first sight while he
      is out hunting. He chooses to ignore her warnings of injury, and he is gored in the groin by a wild
      boar. From the blood that drips on the earth, an Anemone ("wind" flower) sprouts, symbolizing
      the fragile beauty of moral human life.
Scenes of Adonis are often depicted on Sarcophagi, representing the idea of a rebirth within death and giving meaning to burial. The Ritual of Adonia honours the fertility goddess and a dying vegetation god through ritual wailing and singing, and effigies of dead youth, mourning those who die too young. The Gardens of Adonis, seeds planted in shallow soil that spring up quickly and die also carry this sentiment.

V. Anchises: Zeus attempts to shorten Aphrodite's leash by claiming that "no man can sleep with the divine and retain their manhood", so Aphrodite must disguise herself as a mortal to seduce her prey. Anchises unwittingly sleeps with her, only to wake up and realize his emasculation.
The Trojan hero and founder of Rome, Aeneas, is the result of their tryst.

The Beginning of Time (Ch 3)

According to Hesiod's Theogony (theos "god" + gon "birth") and Works & Days, the cosmos ("order/arrangment") was spontaneously created out of Chaos ("chasm"), a conceptual entity with no order to lend itself to human understanding.
Out of Chaos came Gaia/Ge ("earth"), Erebus ("gloom"), Tartarus ("hell"), Eros ("sexual passion") and Night, the precedents of the foundations for the universe. Gaia's procreates with her children Pontus ("Sea") and Uranus ("Sky") in Hieros Gamos, or holy matrimony.
     + Pontus
     + Uranus = 12 titans, Oceanus-Tethys, Iapetus-Themis, Cronus-Rhea, Mnemosyne, Coeus-Phoebe,
                        Hyperion-Theia, Crius.
                     = 3 Cyclopes ("orb-eye"), Thunder, Lighting, and Shining.
                     = 3 Hecatonchires ("100-Handers" with 50 heads each)

Hyperion + Theia = Helius/Sol ("sun"), Selene/Luna ("moon"), Eos/Aurora ("dawn")
     - Phaethon, son of Helius and Clymene, questions his patronage. To affirm his son, Helius grants
       him one wish, in which Phaethon demands to drive Daddy's chariot. Helius abides, bound by oath,
       and Phaethon naturally loses control of the chariot, scorching the earth. Jupiter intervenes, and
       Phaethon is struck from the chariot and hurls to his death below. The Heliades, daughters of Helius,
       bury him, weeping, and are transformed into Poplar trees with tears of amber.
     - Selene falls in love with the handsome shepherd Endymion, bearing 50 daughters. In order to
       preserve him, she asks Zeus to grant him Eternal Sleep as well as Eternal Youth, and he is rests
       forevermore, beautiful in death. Now, he is a motif frequently found on sarcophagi as a symbol
       of the timelessness of youth in memory.
     - Eos, not as clever as her sister, asks for a similar gift for her Trojan prince Tithonus, but forgets
       to mention eternal youth along with his eternal life. His gift becomes a curse, as he becomes
       undesirable to the goddess and shrivels away to a Cicada.
Uranus + Gaia = 12 titans.
     - Uranus inseminates Gaia each night, but prevents her from giving birth. Gaia and Cronus conspire
       and Cronus emerges from the womb to castrate his father.
       From his spilled blood, that drips on Gaia, the Erinyes ("Furies"), Gigantes ("giants", "earth born")
       and the Ash-Tree Nymphs are born. From his severed genitals that are cast into the sea, the
       Goddess Aphrodite emerges from the foam
     - The prophecy repeats itself with the birth of Zeus from Cronus and Rhea, see Zeus.