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.

Hermes (Ch 12)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Hermes, from Herma "stone heap", original I.E. apotropeic trail markers
     (l.) Mercury
     Hermes Psychopompus ("soul guide") conveys souls on their final journey to Hades.
     Hermes Argeiphontes ("slayer of Argus")
Domain: Arcadia, mainly the Peloponnesus,
Genealogy: Zeus + Maia, pleiade (daughter of Atlas + Pleione)
Claim to Fame: God of mischief, thieves, merchants, night time travellers, heralds and messengers.
      Trickster god, resourceful rascal. Inventor of the lyre. Deliverer of Dionysus.
Iconography: Petasus ("travellers hat"), Talaria ("[winged] sandals"), Caduceus ("[snaky] staff"")
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Homer's Odyssey, Homer's Iliad, Ovid's Metamorphosis,  
      Aechyslus' Prometheus Bound

Myth

I. Theft of Apollo's Cattle - Hermes steals 50 head of Apollo's finest cattle by reversing their tracks in the sand, but he is tracked down by the testimony of the only witness, an old man. Hermes takes refuge in the cave of Zeus and Maia and pretends to be an innocent babe, denying all knowledge of the theft and preventing Apollo from "god-handling" him by letting go an omen ("burp/fart").
Apollo demands justice from Zeus, while Hermes lies charmingly, offering an exchange for a new instrument he invented: the lyre. Not only is her absolved from his crime of theft he is given the responsibility of guide to the gods (perhaps to keep him busy and out of trouble?)

II. Hermaphroditus - Hermes and Aphrodite have a son who has the misfortune of being lusted after by Salmacis,  a naiad ("water nymph"). While he is bathing in her spring unaware, she pounces and clings to his back, praying to the gods they'll never be seperated. The gods answer her prayers and the first hermaphrodite is created.  The pool itself becomes fabled for its emasculation of all male bathers.

III. Slayer of Argus - Io is lusted after by Zeus, but a scornful Hera transformed her into a heifer and set Argus ("one hundred eyes") to watch her. Zeus sends Hermes, who lulls Argus to sleep before killing him, and Io is set free. Hera takes the eyes of Argus and puts them on her favourite bird, the peacock, and sends a Gadfly to plague Io so she must wander the earth in search of relief.

Apollo (Ch 11)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Apollo
     (l.) Apollo, Phoebus ("bright/shining"), Loxius ("crooked/devious")
Domain: Ambiguous non-hellenic origin (Lycia, Hyperborea). Came to occupy Delphi.
Genealogy: Zeus + Leto. Brother to Artemis. Father of Asclepius (father of medicine).
Claim to Fame: God of poetry, prophecy, medicine, sailors, colonization, archery. Installer of the oracle
     at Delphi. Conqueror of land but not of love.
Iconography: Sun, lyre, raven, swan, laurel wreath, dolphin
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Ovid's Metamorphosis

Myth

I. Delian Apollo - On the island of Delos, Leto finds refuge from the wrath of Hera, who is trying to prevent the birth of her children. In exchange for sanctuary, the lonely island is promised wealth, civilization, populace and fame. After 9 days of labour, Eilethya (goddess of childbirth) is sent to assist her, as conjured by Iris (goddess of the rainbow). Artemis is born first and it is either her or Eilethya that assists Leto with the birth of Apollo. From then on, the island is used as a treasury for the Athenians.

II. Pythian Apollo - Prophetized before birth that he is destined to seek a location for an oracle, Apolo comes to Crisa, at the foot of Mt. Parnassus. After slaying the dragon residing there (symbol of I.E. domination over autochthonous cultures), he leaves it there to rot and it becomes known as Pytho[n] ("to rot"). In punishment for slaying Ge & Themis' dragon, Apollo is exiled to Thessaly for 9 years (roots for the purification Festival of Stepteria, which occurs every 9 years).
Upon his return, Zeus sends his two eagles around the earth, and drops the Omphalus ("navel", Zeus stand-in that tricked Cronus) where they meet, which becomes the city to be known as Delphi.

III. Apollo Delphinius - After transforming himself into a dolphin (delphis), Apollo commandeers a Cretan ship and enlists the sailors as attendants for his oracle (symbol of minoan cultures being 'commandeered' by I.E. forces). Delphi becomes the sanctuary name, becomes an athletic/academic hub as well as a treasury of the rich and powerful.
Apollo installs Pythia, the prophetess of Apollo, upon a tripod (symbol of divine power) to relay oracles to the priest of Apollo for interpretation. Generally an asexual, postmenopausal mortal speaking in tongues. Believed to be possessed by Apollo, whereas it's more likely she was hallucinating from breathing in fumes from a nearby chasm or chewing copious amounts of laurels and vegetation. Also created and forwarded the maxims "know thyself" and "nothing too much" to warn humankind against our own hubris.

IV. Olympian Idol
1. Pan (Goat god, associate of Dionysus) criticizes the music of Apollo, boasting he can pipe better than Apollo can play his lyre. King Tymolus and King Midas are consulted as judges for the competition, and when Midas hubristically spites Apollo by siding with pan, he sprouts donkeys ears that from that day on must be wrapped in a turban. Pan is spared, only because of his divine company.
2. Marsyas (satyr) and his flute challenges Apollo to a musical contest, whereby the victor can do anything to the vanquished. Marsyas is easily defeated by Apollo and his lyre, and as a result is flayed alive.

V. Labours of Love - Apollo met and transcended a series of lovers, seemingly cursed to never find companionship.
1. Cassandra (daughter of Priam, King of Troy): offered the gift of prophecy in exchange for sexual favours. When she renegs on her end of the deal, she is cursed: always prophesies the truth, but never believed.
2. Cumaen Sibyl: Offered as many years of life as the grains of sand in her hands in exchange for sexual favours. She also renegs on the deal, she is cursed with a long life without lasting youth. Reduced in stature to the extent she becomes only a voice eternally wishes for death instead of obscurity.
3. Marpessa (lover of mortal argonaut Idas): Zeus intervenes with her abduction, giving her a choice of lovers. Apollo is rejected because she is afraid of abandonment once in her old age.
4. Daphne ("laurel", daughter of River Peneus) - Eros strikes Apollo with a golden arrow and Daphne with a leaden one so she will reject his advances. She flees and calls upon her father's help to escape Apollo's grasp, and is thus transformed into the laurel tree that is foreverore sacred to Apollo.
5. Hyacinthus (Spartan inamorato of Apollo ): killed by an errant discus, sent by a jealous Zephyrus (west wind). Apollo causes Hyacinth flower to sprout from the blood, the petals inscribed "ai, ai...", the cry of lament from Apollo. Worshipped annually him at the Hyacinthia (Spartan tomb).
6. Coronis (legitimate wife): pregnant with Apollo's child Asclepius, Coronis has an affair with another mortal, which is witnessed by Apollo's raven. Out of rage, Apollo blackens the feathers of his raven, and mortally wounds his wife. Filled with regret, he sets up her funeral pyre, but manages to salvage his  unborn son out of the flames. Asclepius is handed over to Chiron, the wise centaur, to be tutored in the healing arts. Asclepius matures to become known as the father of medicine, symbolized by his medical staff coiled with a single serpent, and sets up temple complex Epidaurus in the Peloponnesus to serve as a healing sanctuary honouring the gods.

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.

Athena (Ch 8)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Athena
     (l.) Minerva, mens "mind"
     Tritogeneia ("daughter of Triton"), possibly a reference to Triton, god of River of Lake, birthplace?
     Panoply ("all armed")
     Glaukopis, "grey eyed"/"owl eyed"
     Pallas, "weapon brandishing" (See Myth.II)
     Parthanos, "virgin"/"maiden" (See Myth. III)
Domain: Athens. Panhellenic status.
Genealogy: Zeus + Metis. Delivered through Zeus' cracked skull.
Claim to Fame: Goddess of wisdom, strategic warfare, craftsmenship, spinning and weaving, protectorate of cities and heros. Symbolic of a union between indigenous matriarchal cultures and the import of an indo-european sky god (snaky, but born from Zeus. An androgynous figure = warrior princess).
Iconography: Snake, aegis, helmet, owl, olive sprig
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Athena, Hesiod's Theogony, Linear B, Ovid's Metamorphosis

Myth

I. Birth: Zeus impregnates Metis ("wisdom") and swallows her in fear that her son will overthrow him. Instead a daughter is born from his splitting headache (either fights her way out, with a mighty war cry, or is freed by the hammer of Hephestus). Depicted on the East Pediment of the Parthanon.
II. Pallas: Athena's childhood friend, Pallas (daughter of Triton), is accidentally killed as they are at play. In remorse, a wooden statue is fashioned in her honor, adorned with the aegis. Zeus abducts the Palladium and places it in Troy, where it becomes on of the preconditions of Trojan defeat later on.
III. Parthanon ("house of the virgin"): Rested atop the acropolis ("high city") in Athens, the Parthanon was built in mid 5th century BCE under Pericles. It was said that Athena and Poseidon battled for patronage of the city, with the citizens as the jury. While Poseidon produces an immense salt spring/stampede of horses (variant), Athena touches the earth with her spear and the first olive tree sprouts. While her birth is depicted on the East Pediment, her victory over Poseidon is depicted on the west.
IV. Arachne: A mortal spinster by the name of Arachne boasts that she is better than Minerva at weaving. Upon hearing this hubris, Minerva appears under the guise of an old woman, and warns Arachne of her arrogance and to "know thyself". Arachne pays no heed to this warning, and is thus challenged to a weaving contest which she is defeated. Not only does Minerva smash Arachne's own loop over her head, she prevents her from completing suicide by transforming her into a spider

Minor Olympians (Ch 5)

Hera

Etymology and Epithets:

     (g.) Hera

     (l.) Juno

     "cow eyed", "queen", "lady'

Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea, wife of Zeus.

Origin: Most likely non Indo-European. Worshipped primarily at Argos.

Legitimate Offspring: Ares, Elitheya, Hebe, Eris, Hephaestus

Claim to Fame: Goddess of marriage and women. The original shrew. Bent on the destruction of Zeus's 

     paramours

Iconography: Cow, polos (circular pillbox crown), peacock feather, pomogranite.

Hestia

Etymology and Epithets:

     (g.) Hestia

     (l.) Vesta

Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea. Parthanos.
Origin: Mycenaean Greeks, or the sister of an IE sky god.

Claim to Fame: Goddess of the hearth, goodwill, domesticity, and chastity. Inspiration for the
     vestal virgins in Rome, postmenopausal virgins that tend to the eternal fire. Rejects both Apollo
     and Poseidon. One of three deities resistant to the powers of Aphrodite.

Iconography: hearth, fireside, fireside tools (ie. cauldron, kettle, candle, broom), torch, pig, donkey.
Literature: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite

Ares

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Ares, are "bane"/"curse"
     (l.) Mars, marne "to kill"
     "Thracian"
Domain: Associated with Thrace.
Genealogy: Zeus + Hera. Aphrodite's dirty little secret.
Claim to Fame: God of war, violence, bloodlust, masculinity, agriculture, rampant promiscuity.
Iconography: Spear, helmut, dog, chariot, boar

Hephaestus

Etymology and Epithets:

     (g.) Hephaestus, haph "ignite"

     (l.) Vulcan

     "Master Craftsman", "Strong Armed", "Bent Legged"

Origin: Potentially a fire-spirit on the volcanic island of Lemnos (non Greek origin). Rumored to have been thrown from Mt. Olympus by Hera because he was so ugly. Raised by Thetis and the Nereids, from which he learned metal-working skills.

Genealogy: Hera (Parthenogenically), or Hera + Zeus. Husband of Aphrodite.

Claim to Fame: God of the Smithy. 

Iconography: Forge, hammer, anvil.