Athens Overview

Athens, the Greek capital, ascended cultural status and peaked in the 5th and 6th century. The territory of Attica, near the Saronic Gulf,  became a hub of literature, culture, and politics.

Athenian Boasts:
1. Autocthonous (auto "self" + cthon "land): claimed they were the true original inhabitants form the earth itself. Athenian heroes have a certain "snaky" characteristic to them, as snakes were believed to have been born from the earth.
2. Descendants from Cecrops: A mortal half-king half-serpent responsible for delivering civilization (city building, arts, burial, monogamy, eradication of human sacrifice) to the citizens of Cecropia.
3. Descendants from Athena: claimed that the contest between Athena and Poseidon somehow integrated Athena's bloodline into their lineages.

Ericthonius (Eri "very" + chthon "earthy"), son of Hephaestus and Athena (Wait... wasn't she a virgin? Well apparently Hephaestus pursued her to no avail, but managed to ejaculate on her leg which, once wiped off, grew into Ericthonius) was given to the Cecropids with the warning not to look at him. Naturally, their curiosity gets the best of them are driven mad at the site of the snaky thing. They manage to throw themselves off the Acropolis, leaving Erichtonius as the only heir.
He is recovered by Athena and raised by the Goddess to ascend the throne at manhood. During his rule, he set up the cult image of Athena on the Acropolis by installing the Panthenaea. Ericthonius has a grandson, Erechtheus (same etymology) who is the third king to ascend the throne.

The lineage of Athenian Kings are rumoured to be avatars of Poseidon, a manifestation of the god in human form, hence the prevalence of hybrid worship between Athena and Poseidon, earth and sea.
     - The temple adjacent to the Parthanon, the Erectheum, holds the Panthenaia, a wooden status
     of Athena, as well as the tomb of Erectheus, and a salt spring.
    - Historically, the location was site of bull worship, a common sea-god sacrifice, but was in
    part dedicated to Athena Polias, "she of the city".

Theseus (Ch 23)

Etymology:
Geographical Association: Athenian hero, ascends cultural status with the rise of Athens, the territory of Attica near the Sardonic gulf.
Genaelogy: Augeus + Aethra.
Claim to Fame: Pint-size Heracles, completes half the labours.
Literature: ?

Myth

I. Birth: The childless King of Athens, Augeus, consults the Delphic Oracle on how to attain a heir. Her cryptic message "not to open the wineskin" is lost on him, so he visits his friend King Pittheus in Troezen for advice. The wily King instead betroths his daughter Aethra to Augeus, after getting him drunk (told you not to open the wineskin...). Augeus accidentally impregnates her, but orders her to tell no one and raise it in secret. He mandates that only the son of Augeus could lift the boulder that he places his sandals and sword under.
After Augeus departs for Athens, Aethra has a dream that Poseidon is demanding sacrifice on a nearby island. She wakes and visits it the same night, and has a secret tryst with the god = dual paternity of Theseus.

II. Manhood: When Theseus is grown, he easily moves the boulder and obtains his mortal fathers sandals and sword. Instead of sailing his way to Athens, he vows to take the more heroic overland route, in which he completes 6 Labours:
1. Periphetes/Corynetes ("Club Man") @ Epidaurus: Known for bashing his victims, Theseus bashes this robber with his own club.
2. Sinis/Pityocamptes ("Pine Bender") @ Isthmus of Corinth: Known for bending two pines, tying his victim to them, then having them snap apart, Sinus suffers the same fate at the hands of Theseus.
3. Monsterous Sow @ Northern point of Isthmus, village Cromyon: He slays the carnivorous of a mean old woman
4. Sciron @ Megara: Known for leading his victims to a cliff and getting them to wash his feet, only to boot them off towards his man-eating turtle, once again he suffers the same fate at the hands of Theseus.
5. Cercyon @ Elusius: Known for his wrestling ability, Theseus out wrestles the wrestler and escapes his own death. He kills the local hero instead, eclipsing his status.
6. Procrustes ("stretcher") b/t Eluseus and Athens: Known for measuring out his victims and proportioning to proper size (either with a hammer and stretcher, or a large axe), Theseus defeats him, although it is unknown if Procrustes was too short or too tall.

III. Arrival at Athens: Having completed his 6 labours, Theseus is received in Athens as is any other stranger/hero. His step-mother, the sorceress Medea who has married Augeus, views Theseus as a threat to her son Medus and attempts to poison him with drink. Augeus, discovering the strangers identity at the last second, prevents him from consuming the poison. To escape punishment, Medea flees eastward on a dragon-drawn chariot.
In the meantime, Theseus meets the Bull of Marathon, the Cretan Bull that Heracles rescued from Minos and delivered to the mainland. He manages to subdue it and sacrifice it to Apollo Delphinius.

IV. The Minotaur: Minos (son of Zeus and Europa) , King of Crete, was unable to sacrifice a sacred bull from Poseidon. Angry, the vengeful God strikes his wife Pasiphae with irrevocable desire for the creature. In order to avoid embarassment, Pasiphae asks Daedalus, an Athenian engineer to build a hollow wooden cow for her to occupy. She is impregnated by the bull, and delivers forth the Minotaur.
The man-eating monstrosity is hidden in a labyrinth (also built by Daedalus) and fed on human flesh.
In the meantime, Prince Androgeus is killed by some Athenians after his successful participation in some athenian athletic events. In response, Crete attacks Athens, but they come to a settlement whereby each year 7 young princes and 7 young princesses are shipped off to Crete and fed to the Minotaur.
In reponse to this injustice, Theseus offers to go, vowing to slay the monster and relenquish the obligation to Crete. He tells his father on the return journey he will raise white sails if he succeeds (versus the black sails of mourning).
Ariadnes, daughter of Minos, falls in love at first sight with Theseus. She betrays her family by giving him a clue ("ball of wool") for the labyrinth, which Theseus uses to navigate his escape after he slaughters the Minotaur. Along with saving the 14 youth, he rescues Ariadne from her father as they sail home (Unfortunately she's abandoned on the island of Naxos/Dia where she is rescued and married to Dionysus)
Theseus forgets to hoist the white sails, so Augeus is stricken with grief at the loss of his son, and throws himself into the sea. Theseus arrives to Athens as the new king, and immediately conducts a series of reforms which unify Athenian villages into one metropolis, and reinstitute the Isthmian Athletic gmes.

V. Other Myths:
-Theseus joined Heracles on his 9th labour to the Amazon. Whereas Heracles kills his lover Hippolytus, Theseus abducts Antiope after an epic battle with the enraged women.
-Pirithous, King of Lapiths, is married one day and Theseus is the best man. Unfortunately, as the vino is uncorked a tribe of centaurs attack. Although the two kings triumph, their guests have been slain (including the bride). Pirithous asserts the only bride equivalent to the one he lost is Persephone, and convinces Theseus to descend to Hades with him. They get stuck, of course, but Heracles comes to the rescue, only to save Theseus.

Odysseus (Ch 20)

Etymology: Unknown. Ep. Polytropos "of many twists and turns".
Origin: King of Ithica, husband of Penelope, father of Telemachus. Son of Laertes and Anticlia.
Claim to Fame: Cunning, Trojan Horse, Katabasis (mortal descent into hell)
Literature: Vergil's Aeneid, Homer's Odyssey, Homer's Illiad

Nostos ("Homecoming")

After 10 years of fighting at Troy alongside Achilles, it takes him 10 years to return home to Ithaca to his faithful wife and growing son.

1. Cicones, Thracian tribe allied with the Trojans
Odysseus sacks the city of the Cicones at Ismarus, but spares Apollo's priest Maron in exchange for 12 amphorae of wine. Six men from each of his ships are slaughtered as reinforcements arrive and they must flee.

2. Lotus-Eaters, North Africa
As they were rounding the tip of the Peloponnesus, the wind blows them off course to the land of the lotus-eaters, where one taste of their fruit is to attain blissful, apathetic oblivion. Odysseus resists the temptations to be relieved of all wants, desires, and passions in life through eternal sleep, and forces his men back to the ships to continue on home.

3. Polyphemus, one-eyed giant, son of Poseidon
Odysseus is captured by the giant Polyphemus, who kills and eats his six of his men before imprisoning them in his cave. They drug him with the 12 amphorae of wine, and while he is sleeping Odysseus blinds him with a burning stick, whispering to him that his name is "nobody" so the other cyclopes could not charge him. To escape, Odysseus and his surviving crew tie themselves to the bellies of the giant's sheep, so when he took them out to graze the prisoners were left undiscovered. As they sail away, Odysseus accidentally reveals his name, earning the wrath of Poseidon by the wrongdoing of his son.

4. Aeolus, keeper of the winds
They stop of the island of Aeolus, and befriend its inhabitant so that he gives Odysseus a leather bag containing the winds that will blow them home safely. Unfortunately just as they are almost in view of Ithaca Odysseus falls asleep and the mischievous crew open the bag, blowing them all back to Aeolus' island. This time, they cannot convince Aeolus to aid them again, so they turn to the seas once more.

5. Laestrygones, cannibalistic tribe
Captured by cannibals, 11 of Odysseus' 12 ships are destroyed and the men are devoured. Odysseus and his own ship's crew is all that remains.

6. Circe, sorceress, daughter of Helius. Island of Aeaea.
Odysseus and his crew are welcomed by Circe, and while he stays behind with the ship, they are all transformed into swine. Hermes intervenes, giving Odysseus the herb "moly" (antidote to her witchcraft), and Odysseus seduces Circe into transforming his men back into humans and letting them go. He first convinces her to reveal the means by which he can learn how to get home, several warnings for the jounrey ahead, and attains instructions to perform Nekuia ("spirit summoning") to consult the spirit of the dead seer Tiresias.

7. Katabasis, kata "down" + basis "going" (Homer's Odyssey Book 11, "Book of the Dead")
In the far west, Odysseus performs the rituals of Nekuia to summon the spirit of Tiresias. As instructed by Circe, Odysseus sacrificed an unfertile heifer and black sheep as well as pour a libation of honey, wine, milk, water, and blood to replenish the dead and convince Erebus to release several shades:
- Anticlia (mother), who died of a broken heart waiting for her son. Odysseus attempts three times to embrace her, but passes through her shade
- Elpenor (comrade at arms), who died of a drunken escapade and was left unburied and unwept. Cursed for 100 years.
- Achilles (comrade at arms), who died of Paris' divine arrow, asserts "it's better a slave on earth than King of the Dead"
- Ajax (comrade at arms), who died of suicide at the incomprehension of losing a wager to Odysseus, turns his back and refuses to speak.
- Tiresias (seer), who died of old age, is given blood in exchange for the knowledge that will return Odysseus alone to Ithica, where he must face Penelope's suitors before he can attain his rightful place.

8. Sirens, women who lure ships to rocks said to hold intellectual/sexual secrets = femme fatale
Eager to hear their song, Odysseus orders his men to tie him to the mast of the ship (by no means untie him) and plug their own ears with wax so they can safely pass. Like Prometheus, Odysseus succeeds in overcoming temptation with foresight.

9. Scylla and Charybdis, straits of Messina (Sicily and Italy)
To negotiate the violent rocks and whirlpools, Odysseus adheres to the side of the strait associated with Scylla. Six of his men are consumed by her. They also pass safely through Planctae ("clashing rocks"), the Mediterranean Sea/ Black Sea passage connection.

10. Cattle of Thrinacia, island of Helius
Warned by Circe not to touch the cattle, Odysseus's crew disobeys, earning the wrath of Helius as enacted by Zeus's thunderbolt. Everyone drowns but Odysseus, who avoids Charybdis, clinging to the wreckage of his ship.

11. Calypso ("concealer"), sea-nymph and daughter of Atlas

Imprisons Odysseus on the island of Ogygia for 7 years. Although she nourishes him back to health as well as promises him immortality, Odysseus cannot justify (a) not returning to his family and kingdom, and (b) having his name left unspoken due to his concealment. He petitions Zeus, who sends Hermes to sanction his release.

12. Phaeacians, peaceful seafaring tribe, Scheria

Odysseus' raft is shipwrecked by Poseidon near the isle of the Scheria but Leucothea and Athena help him ashore. He is discovered by the princess Nausicaa, daughter of Alcinous and Arete, who earns his stays at their court through the retelling of his adventures. He shows prowess in a number of contests, and is sent home to Ithica with magical intervention.

Poseidon, angered by the Phaeacian's intervention, turns their ships to stone.

Arrival at Ithica

Since Telemachus is too young to be eligible for the throne, Peripheron Penelope ("circumspect") is harassed by a number of suitors intending to steal it from Odysseus.

- Telemacheus travels to Pylos to visit King Nestor, and Sparta to visit King Menalaus, to discover whether Odysseus still lives.
- Meanwhile, Penelope promises she shall pick a suitor once she is finished weaving her husbands shround (each night she undoes the days work to start over in the morning)

Disguised as a begger, Athena directs Odysseus to Eumaeus, the swine herd who kept Odysseus' faithful dog, Argus. The dog recognises his master and drops dead, affirming his identity as the lost king to Eumaeus and Telemachus. Similarly, an old nurse of his (Euryclea, characterized by her gashed thigh) washes his feet as a charity to a beggar, but upon recognizing them, she recognizes her king.

He arranges a meeting with Penelope on the claim he has seen Odysseus, dropping hints at his true identity by commenting on the fact she is not wearing a certain brooch (a gift from Odysseus, long ago).
In response to her suspicion of the stranger at court Penelope arranges an archery contest for the suitors, whereby they must string her husbands bow and shoot through 12 axeheads. Each one fails, until the beggar is given a turn, whereby Odysseus enacts his vengeance through his dramatic reveal.

• Father and son slaughters Antinoos (main suitor) and the rest, sparing only Medon (herald) and Phemius (bard). 
• The 12 Servant-girls that taunted the beggar at court as well as slept with the suitors were charged with cleaning up the bloodshed, then were hanged for their disloyalty. 
• Goat-herd Melanthius was mutilated and killed for violating Xenia.

Having been sent away during the bloodshed, Penelope enacts one last test for the stranger by asking Nurse Euryclea to move her marriage bed, which only few know that it is actually hand-carved out of a living, rooted olive tree. Odysseus' outrage at this order confirms his identity as it is a secret symbol of their tryst. Athena then consummates Odysseus's return and he obtains his rightful place as ruler of Ithica.

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

Sea Monsters (Ch 7)

Origin

Pontus (element), son of Gaia, fathered hundreds of monsterous deities with his own mother, most of them a mixture of human and animal.

I. Nereus: The archetypal "wise old man" from the sea, Nereus is a shape-shifting seer who aided Heracles in finding the Hespereiades to complete his 11th labour. He fathers 50 Nereids with Doris that bear significant offspring in their days.

     - Thetis, wife of Peleus (who had to wrestle her to win her), mother of Achilles

     - Galatea, wife of Acis, object of desire of Polyphemus (unrequited love results in wrath 

       of Polyphemus, deification of Acis)

     - Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon

Often compared to/synonymous with Proteus ("variable", "taking on different forms") which accounts for the unpredictability of their natures.

II. Thaumas: Manages to father three supernatural daughters.

     - Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, messenger of Hera

     - Harpy ("snatcher"/"strong winds"), half women half bird vermin

     - Sphinx ("strangler"), the part woman/lion/bird riddler thwarted by Oedipus

III. Phorcys: Mated with his sister Ceto to have a bunch of monsterous kids daughters.

     - 3 Graeae, the "gray ones" from birth, personifications of old age, share 1 eye 1 tooth, thwarted 

       by Perseus on his quest for the head of Medusa, their sister.

     - Gorgans, two immortal, one mortal (Medusa). Said to turn people to stone with one glance.

     - Scylla, once the object of Poseidon's affection, forevermore a sailor's affliction.

Oceanus (titan), son of Uranus and Gaia, fathered over 3000 oceanids with his sister Tethys (One of them Doris, mother of the Nereids)

Literature: Ovid's Metamorphosis, Hesiod's Theogony

Poseidon (Ch 7)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Poseidon, Posis "husband" + don... da "of Da" (ie. Consort of Earth mother), or Posis "to drink"
     (l.) Neptune
     "Earth Shaker", "Earth Holder"
     Potamos ("river"), associated with the I.E. God of Freshwater, who attains domain over salt water
     as they migrated to the coast.
     Hippios, "horsey" another I.E. association with riding-cultures. Horses drowned in his honor.
Domain: The sea. Tectonic plates.
Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea. Brother of Zeus.
Claim to Fame: God of the sea, horse riding, earthquakes, irregular temperaments.
Iconography: trident, waves, fish, horses, ships
Literature: Ovid's Metamorphosis

Myth

I. Poseidon Erechtheum ("original soil"): Despite losing the contest for patronage for Athens (See Athena), Poseidon is appeased by the citizens (in fear or appreciation, we'll never know) and a temple is built in his honor on the grounds of the Parthanon. The Erechtheum is characterized by its Carytid statues, beautiful women holding various items of symbolic significance, which serve the same function as columns.

II. Hippios and Demeter: In Arcadia it was rumored that Poseidon pursued his own sister, Demeter, who sought to escape him by disguising herself as a mare. Poseidon transformed into a stallion, and the magical steed Arion is born.
Similar origins for the mythological creature Pegasus as well, as Poseidon entered another tryst with Medusa to the same outcome.

III. Amphitrite: Poseidon took Amphitrite as his wife and had a son Triton. While daddy acts up to bring storms to sink ships, Triton blows his conch shell to calm the seas.
Amphitrite herself works hard to keep her marriage monogamous, and Poseidon is kept on a short leash.
Scylla (daughter of Phorcys), an object of Poseidon's desire is transformed into a monster whose lower half is ringed by dogs. She flees to the straits of Messina, where her and Charybdis (daughter of Poseidon and Gaia), a vicious whirlpool that spews three times a day, work to make sailors lives miserable.

IV. Odysseus: See Odysseus for details on Poseidon's pursuit of this wily hero.