Heracles (Ch23)

Etymology
"Glory of Hera": named to appease his implacable nemesis Hera.
"Master of Animals": numerous man vs. beast exploits

Geographical Associations
Peloponnesus (Mycenae, Tiryns, Argos) for Labours 1-6; transcends to panhellenic heroic status (Boeotia, Trachis, Thessaly, etc.) due to Labours 7-12 and Parergon (Par "side" + erga "work").

Origin: Born in Thebes. Hybrid Greek/Near East culture figure due to sheer abundance of myths. Zeus + Alcmena.

• Local: Prince of Tiryns, vassal of the Mycanean King Eurysthesus (always mighty, never the ruler ie. Ajax)
• Imported: Near East mythologic themes parallel the Gilgamesh Epic (ie. man vs. wild, man vs. manufacture). Imported "primitive" qualities: brute strength, use of outdated weapons (ie. club, bow), dons lionskin, prefers physical conquest over intellectual.

Claim to Fame: Greatest of all heroes in that he ascends Olympus and achieves immortal status among Gods. Completion of 12 "impossible" labours.
Literature: ?

Birth 

1. Miraculous Conception

• Alcmena (granddaughter of Perseus, wife of Amphitryon, King of Mycenae) + Zeus = 
• "Heterofraternal Superfecundation", different fathers for fraternal twins: Heracles (f. Zeus) and Iphicles (f Amphitryon, King of Mycenae). 
• Amphitryon is cuckolded on his wedding night while he is away at war, returns to find his wife is pregnant (ref. Plautus's Amphitruo, Roman comedic play on the situation)

2. Imminent Threat at Birth

•  Zeus's boast, that his child born that day will rule all men, angers Hera to force Elethuia to hasten the birth of Eurystheus, Heracles' cousin. 
• In an effort to appease her, Zeus offers Heracles to Hera to suckle, in which he bites off her nipple = creation of Galaktos ("milky way"). 
• Hera unleashes two deadly serpents upon the sleeping child, but Heracles throttles them while still in the crib.

3. Prophecy for Life

•  Seer Tiresias foretells that Heracles will gain numerous victories and rewards for humankind, attain a glorified death, and be the only hero to ascend Mt. Olympia and reside with the gods.

Midlife

Numerous mentors teach him charioteering, wrestling, archery and music (Linus, Mt. Citharon, is accidentally killed by his own lyre). Heracles is exiled to Boeotia, where he saves the town of Thespia from a lion and is given the Megara, Princess of Thebes, hand in marriage. Just as his family is growing happily, Hera strikes Heracles with a fit of madness, causing him to murder his own wife and children in his own home. He seeks the Oracle at Delphi to expiate his crimes, whereby the Pythia orders him to serve his cousin Eurystheus for 12 years and perform his labours.

The 12 Athloi ("Labours")

The 12 Athloi, "labours" or "contests with a prize at the end", depicted on the 12 Metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. They are completed mostly single-handedly, but are assisted by gods or mortals at times. Several incidental Parergon are completed in addition to attest to Heracles might.

Peloponnesian Labours (1-6): centrally located in Mycanea, feature mostly Man vs. Beast.

1. Nemean Lion:

- NW of Mycenae

- Required to fight lion [barehanded/club/bow] and return its [impenetrable] skin. Had to strangle it, since its skin is invulnerable, and then skin it with its own claws.

- Symbolism: iconography of club and lionskin has primitive artistic implications.

2. Lernaean Hydra:

- SE of Mycenae

- Required to defeat the Hydra ("water serpent"), which has 8 mortal heads and 1 immortal head (whereby for every head severed 2 replace it) as well as a giant crab sent by Hera. Iolaus (nephew) aids Heracles by cauterizing the severed stumps while Heracles pins the beast underneath a boulder.

- The defeated crab is preserved by Hera as the constellation Cancer; Heracles dips his arrows in poisonous Hydra blood (future implications).

- Symbolism: Hydra, a never-ending puzzle.

3. Cerynean Hind:

- Arcadia (C. Peloponnesus)

- Required to capture the sacred deer of Artemis, as characterized by its golden antlers, and return it unscathed to Eurystheus to prevent the wrath of the goddess. He tracks it for an entire year until it yields due to exhaustion.

- Hind is returned to Artemis and Heracles is forgiven.

- Symbolism: Pindarian Variation states that Heracles tracked the hind all the way to the land of the Hyperboreans (beyond the North Wind), a journey symbolic of a conquest over death.

4. Erymanthian Boar:

- Mt. Erymanthos (Arcadia)

- The boar is trapped with a net, presented to his cousin, then released.

- Parergon: meets Pholus (centaur) who entertains him with wine (symbol of mans conquest over nature), but the other centaurs attack them for this betrayal. Chiron (re: tutor of Oedipus) is wounded by one of Heracles' poison arrow, and then offers his immortality to Prometheus because he cannot bear to live with the pain.

5. Augean Stables:

- Elis (area of Mt. Olympia)

- Required to clean the filthy stables of King Augeas (son of Helius) who keeps vast herds of enormous cattle. If he succeeds, he is promised 1/10th of the wealth. With the help of Athena, Heracles diverts rivers Alpheus and Peneus to flow through the stables and completes the deed, but Augeaus renegs on the agreement, earning his own death by Heracles' wrath.

- Parergon: Said to have established the first Olympian games during his stay.

6. Stymphalian Birds:

- Lake Stymphalus (Arcadia)

- A flock of carnivorous predatory birds is flushed out by casanets donated by Athena, then shot with the [sling/bow] of Heracles.

Non-Peloponnessian Myths (7-9): Completed in outlying areas of Greece, which add to the claim of his imported origin. Most feats now tend to combine intellect with strength.

7. Cretian Bull:
- Crete (S of Greece)
- Required to catch the bull that King Minos failed to sacrifice to Poseidon. Once overpowering it, he rides it back to the Greek mainland, where it is presented and then released.
- The Bull escapes through an isthmus and resides in the fields of Marathon where it is eventually caught by Theseus.
8. Mares of Diomedes:
- Thrace (N of Greece)
- Required to capture the man-eating herds of King Diomedes (son of Ares). Heracles feeds their king to the horses, then returns to Eurystheus where they are released and dedicated to Hera.
- Parergon: Alcestes (wife of Admetus, King of Thrace) is mourned because she takes her own life for her husband (wish of Apollo granted), so Heracles wrestles Thanatos ("Death") to recover the Queen.
9. Girdle of Hippolyta:
- Amazon (E of Greece)
- Required to deliver the girdle Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta ("Hippo" horse + lyta "tamer"), which is surrendered willingly. Hera gets the Amazons up in arms to attack Heracles on the claim he has come to rape their Queen. Heracles kills the Queen and defeats the army.
- Parergon: rescues the damsel Hesione from the sea monster at Troy upon the request of wealth from King Laomedon. After another deal is reneged upon, he returns, sacks troy, and replaces the throne with King Priam.
- Symbolism: Girdle (chastity) is given as willingly as her life.

Western Labours of Death (10-12): Non-peloponnesian in nature, symbolically and/or literally represent Heracles triumph over death because they take place in the land that is both beyond the understanding of the Greeks. (Also, sun sets in the west, blood red skies, etc.)
10. Cattle of Geryon:
- Erythea ("red land", far west of Greece), is aided by Helius who transports him by Golden Cup.
- Required to capture the cattle of Geryon ("three bodied monster"; son of Callirhoe = Phorcys + Ceto and Chrysaor = Medusa + Poseidon) as supervised by the giant Eurytion and his two-headed watchdog Orth[r]us.  He defeats all three then drives the cattle home.
- Parergon: When he stops in the outcrops of Spain of Morrocco (strait where Med sea meets Atlantic), he sets up the Pillars of Heracles to symbolize the boundary of the known and the unknown world.
11. Apples of Hesperides:
- Far West
- Required to bring back the golden apples from the tree of life (wedding present of Zeus to Hera), as guarded by the three Hesperides ("daughters of evening") and the serpent Ladon.
- The sea monster Nereus is wrestled into submission by Heracles, and is forced to reveal where the location is. In Eurepides' version, Ladon is killed and Heracles returns the apples alone. In the version on the Metopes on the Temple of Zeus, Atlas trades places with Heracles, and is tricked back into upholding the heavens after he obtains the apples.
- Parergon: Busirus, King of Egypt, and his court is slaughtered after violating guest/host relations by sacrificing visiting strangers to Zeus; Antaeus (giant of Libya, son of Poseidon and Earth), is crushed in mid air to death by Heracles in a wrestling match, after it is determined that he gains strength when he touches the earth; Prometheus is freed from his chains, after Heracles kills Zeus' eagle.
12. Cerberus:
- Underworld
- Required to capture the hell-hound of the underworld and present to Eurystheus.
- Hermes and Athena assist Heracles's descent into Hades, where he encounters and frees the hero Theseus, and promises the marry Deianira ("man eater"), sister of Meleager.

Miscellaneous Labours

After receiving expiation for the sin of murdering his wife and family, Heracles encounters a number of "contests" later in life.
- Cercopes (pair of dwarves) are about to be killed for their attempt to rob Heracles, but their joking of his burned-buttocks earns a more humourous mood as well as their lives. Later turned into [apes/stones] by Zeus.
- Deianira (2nd wife) is won by wrestling the shape-shifting river god Acheolus and breaking off one of his magical horns, which is traded for the Cornucopia of Amalthea. On the way back, the centaur Nessus  offers to carry his wife across the flooding river Evenus, but he attempts to rape her, earning him a swift herculean poisoned arrow and a painful death. Before he expires, he tells Deianira to collect his blood on the claim it will prevent Heracles from loving any other women, without taking into consideration the mixing of poisoned Hydra blood with his own.
- Iole, a mortal on the island of Euboea, is refused from a smitten Heracles, who retaliates by throwing her brother off the acropolis. Once more, Heracles seeks expiation for his sins at the Delphic Oracle, who refuses to answer him. When he attempts to make off with her tripod and set up his own oracle, Apollo intervenes, and Zeus commands him that he must serve as a slave for one year to Omphale, Queen of Lydia (cross-dressing, weaving ensues)

Death of Heracles

After learning of her husbands infatuation with Iole, Deinira smears her husbands shirt with Nessus' blood and sents it to be worn at the sacrifice to Zeus. The flames from the offering fused the shirt to Heracles' flesh, burned off his mortal part, and the immortal part ascended Olympus in a chariot sent by Zeus. Only then is he reconciled with Hera, who gives him Hebe ("Youth") as a wife.
Deineria commits suicide on the funeral pyre on Mt. Oeta, lit by a flaming arrow shot by Poeus (Philoctetes Father) from Hercules' bow.
Odyssey, Book 11: Met by Odysseus in the Underworld, some debate of mortality.

Bellerophon

Etymology: "Slayer by shaft"
Origin: Grandson of [death cheating/boulder pushing] Sisyphus. Son of Glaucus,  King of Corinth.
Claim to Fame: Slayer of the Chimera, hybrid fire-breathing lion/serpent/goat monster located in Lycia, Asia Minor.
Literature: Homer's Illiad, Euripedes Bellerophontus

After accidentally killing his brother, he is exiled from Corinth but finds expiation as a suppliant of King Proteus (brother of Acrisius) in Tiryns. The Queen Sthenboea, however, takes a liking to him, and when her seductive charms are rejected she accuses Bellerophon of rape (Potiphar's Wife Motif). In order to find a way to honor Xenia (Greek Guest/Host relations) Proteus orders Bellerophon to take a letter to his father-in law in Lycia (Far East) inscripted with the message to "kill the bearer of the letter". The father-in-law, also unwilling to violate Xenia in fear of the wrath of the Erinyes, instructs Bellerophon to defeat the monsterous Chimera to relieve the dishonor of his accusation.
Bellerophon seeks the aid of Athena, who gives him a golden bridal of which he can use to tame the mythological steed Pegasus. He succeeds in slaying the Chimera through suffocation, and returns to the Greek mainland a hero.

Later on, Bellerophon attempts to ascent Mt. Olympus on Pegasus. For his Hubris, Zeus sends a gadfly to aggravate Pegasus into bucking him off. While Pegasus is captured by Zeus, Bellerophon falls from grace (literally and metaphorically), and lives out the rest of his days as a cripple.

Perseus (Ch 21)

Etymology: N/a.
Geographic Associations: Are of Argos, Mycenae and Tiryns, centre of Greek mainlans.
Origin: Central Greek culture figure. Son of Zeus + Danae.
Claim to Fame: Slaying the Gorgon Medusa, rescuing Andromeda, founder of Mycanae
Literature: Herodontus

Birth: Danae (daughter of Acrisius, King of Argos) + Zeus (Golden Shower)
1. Prophecy for Life: Son of Danae will overthrow King Acrisius.
2. Miraculous Conception: Danae is imprisoned in a brazen [underground chamber/tower] by her father to preserve her virtue. Zeus appears as a shower of sparks to impregnate her.
3. Imminent Threat at Birth: Acrisius denies divine parentage, and casts his daughter and grandson out to the Aegean sea in a chest. Rescued by Dictys ("net man") rescues the pair and delivers them to his brother Polydectes, King of Seriphos, who falls for Danae much to her resistance.
4. Quest: Polydectes orders the young men of the island to bring the throne a horse each. Perseus one ups his peers by boasting he can bring him the head of a Gorgon.

• With the assistance of Athena, he is directed to the Graiai ("Grey Ones", daughters of Phorcys + Ceto) where he steals their single eye and tooth to obtain the whereabouts of the nymphs. 
• From the nymphs, Perseus obtains the Cap of Invisibility, Winged Sandals, and a leather Kibisis ("pouch"). Later variants add in the Scimitar and Polished Shield of Hermes. He then seeks to find the Gorgons Stheno (i.), Euryale (i.), and Medusa (m.).
•  Using the polished shield to prevent petrification, Perseus beheads Medusa and places it in the Kibisis. From her decapitated body springs her two offspring from a tryst with Poseidon, Pegasus (winged horse) and Chrysaor ("he of the Golden Sword"). 
• On his return journey, Perseus saves Andromeda (daughter of Cassiopia + Cepheus, King of Ethiopia) from being sacrificed to Poseidon's sea monster for her mothers hubristic claim she is more ceautiful than the Neriads (Egyptian Oracle of Zeus Ammon symbolizes Greek/African fusion). He then defeats Andromeda's bethrothed, Phineus, by transforming him to stone, and then takes her hand in marriage. 
• On his return to the Island of Seriphos, Perseus avenges his mothers harassment by turning Polydectes to stone, elevating Dictys to crowned ruler.
• While participating in the funeral games in Thessaly, he accidentally kills Acrisius with a stray discus throw. Since he cannot return to Argos with blood on his hands, he becomes king of Tiryns and with Andromeda creates the generations before the family of Atreus.

5. Afterward and Etiology: The Gorgon head is given to Athena for her [breastplate/shield] called the Gorgoneion, while the Sandals, Kibisis, and Cap are given to Hermes. Perseus and Danae form a family and have a son, Perses, that inherits the kingdom of Cepheus and fathers the Perseid Dynasty (ancestors of Heracles).

• Athena invents the flute in imitation of the lamentations of the two surviving Gorgons.
• On his escape, Pegasus strikes Mr Helicon in passing, and from it the Hippocrene fountain emerges, spouting artistic inspiration for generations to come.
• As Perseus flew over Libya, the Gorgon blood dripped through the Kibisis = poisonous snakes.
• As Perseus passed Atlas he was refused hospitality, so he turned Atlas to stone = Atlas mountains.

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.

The Trojan Saga, pt I (Ch 19)

Overview

The Trojan War spanned 10 years of fighting and skirmishing between the Greeks and the Trojans, and is reflected in the quarrelling of allied Gods and Goddesses. What begins as a war over the abduction of Helen continues as an excuse for political advancement, whereby the Greeks seek to assert their dominance over the Romans.

Key Concepts

Warrior Pride

• Arete, "excellence": the pursuit of physical and intellectual dominance
• Time, "face": honor of a warrior, his reputation
• Kleos, "glory": the essence of being a victor, and history is written by those who win.

Loyalty: the wives of Agamemnon and Odysseus contrast the virtue of loyalty and are rewarded by their own fate and the fate of their kingdom.

War Precedents

1. Leda, wife of Tindareus (King of Sparta) is visited upon by Zeus (disguised as a swan). She gives birth to two eggs, four kids: Polydeuces/Pollux + Helen, Castor + Clytemnestra.
- The Dioscuri ("sons of Zeus"): Pollux (immortal) and Castor (mortal), grow up to join Jason and the argonauts. In a violent storm, flames flicker from the brother's heads ("Castor and Pollux", "St. Elmos Fire") and the storms seize immediately in the face of their divinity. Castor, however, is later killed in a fight, and is avenged by his brother Pollux who splits his immortality (one brother occupies the underworld, while the other is above, they alternate each day)
- Tyndareus, in a position where his daughter is desired by countless suitors of significant political clout, asks Odysseus to solve his daughter's betrothal in exchange for the hand of Penelope. Odysseus asserts that (1) all suitors must abide by Tyndareus's decision, (2) all must vow for her vengeance if she is ever abducted, and (3) Menalaus, King of Sparta, would be the best protectorate and husband.

2. Hecuba, wife of Priam (King of Troy), has a dream of a fire-brand that destroys Troy, and subsequently gives birth to it. In fear of her nation, she abandons the infant Paris on the side of Mt. Ida where he is discovered and raised by a shepard.

3. At the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (neriad), the Gods in attendance are thrown into discord by the appearance of Eris ("strife"), who throws a golden apple among the goddesses inscribed with "to the fairest". Zeus chooses the Paris, handsome son of Priam, to make a ruling between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, who respectively bribe him with power, military prowess, and Helen.
Naturally, Paris ascertains that Aphrodite is the fairest of them all.

4. When Paris abducts Helen and returns to Troy, all Greek heroes are ordered to assembly at Aulis - only Odysseus is reluctant and momentarily feigns madness. The seer Calchas of Sparta prophetizes Troy cannot be taken without Achilles. The seer Helenus of Troy prophetizes Troy cannot be captured without the aid of Heracles' bow.

5. Meanwhile, Thetis attempts to make Achilles immortal.

• Like Diamophoon, Thetis makes like Demeter and attempts to burn away the mortal flesh of an ambrosia-anointed Achilles. Once she reaches his heel, however, she is stopped by Peleus.
• Or, she dips Achilles by his heel into the River Styx.

He is mentored alongside Patrocles by the centaur Chiron on Mt. Pelion, until Thetis learns of the prophecy he will either live his life short and glorious, or long and unremarkable. She responds by hiding Achilles on the Cycladid island Scyros, and disguising him by concealing him in women's clothing.
His cover is blown, however, when Odysseus calls the young men of the island to arms.
He leaves behind a wife, Deidamia, and son, Neoptolemus (a.k.a. Pyrrhus) in order to go to war with the Achaens.

6. As the armada at Aulis is completed, King Agamemnon learns he must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease Artemis and gain favourable winds. He deceives the young girl by saying she is about to marry Achilles, but before she is about to be executed, Artemis substitutes a young doe and whisks her off to the land of the Taurians.

7. On the way to Troy, Philoctetes (holder of Heracles' bow) is bitten in the foot by a snake. The wound rots to give off a powerful enough stench he is dropped off, with bow and arrows, on the island of Lemnos. He is later rescued and the bow is what eventually kills Paris.

The Theban Saga (Ch17)

Overview: Focuses on Bronze Age Thebes in Boetia, Central Greece.
Literature: Ovid's Metamorphosis, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus
Claim to Fame: Double foundation myth

Founding Myth I

Cadmus, in a desperate search for his abducted sister Europa, consults the oracle at Delphi who ignores his requests and commands him to follow a cow and build a city at that location. Cadmus abandons his search for his sister, and follows a cow to a spring occupied by Ares' serpent, where it the cow is sacrificed. The site becomes the citadel "Cadmeia", the acropolis of a new city.
Athena advises him to slay the serpent as well, then sow its teeth, of which spartoi ("armed men") spring from the ground and battle each other. The five surviving become the five head families that become the nobility of Thebes.

In penance for slaying the serpent, Cadmus serves as slave to Ares for one year, for which he is rewarded with the hand of Harmonia (daughter of Ares and Aphrodite). All gods attend the wedding, whereby Harmonia receives a necklace fashioned by Hephaestus as a bridal gift. They have two daughters, Semele (mother of Dionysus) and Agave (mother of Pentheus), and live out their days until they are transformed into serpents in death.

Founding Myth II

Antiope is raped by Zeus, and bears twin sons Amphion and Zethus who are abandoned on Mt. Cithaeron and raised by a shepard. The boys grow old and talented, Amphion a musician ("dreamer") and Zethus a shepard ("pragmatist"), then return to Cadmeia to avenge their mother and gain rule. Amphion's music assembles surrounding stones into the walls of the city with 7 gates, while Zethus renames the city after his wife Thebe (except the acropolis, forever known as Cadmeia).

The Theban Saga then continues into the rule of Oedipus.

Hades (Ch 15)

Etymology and Epithets
     (g.) Hades, "unseen", "invisible"
     (l.) Pluto or Dis/Dives, "wealth" (referring to underground metals), "the enricher"
     (l.) Orcus, "confining place"
     Zeus Katachtonius (kata "under" + cthon "earth"), "underground Zeus"
     Polyxenos, "host to many"
     Polydegmon, "receiver of many"
     Erebus, "Darkness"
Domain: Underworld.
Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea, Brother to Zeus
Claim to Fame: God of Death and the Underworld, Abductor of Persephone/Proserpina, General Hardass.
Iconography: Rooster? Anything death related...
Literature: Homer's Odyssey, Book 11 (Nekuia/Book of the Dead/Spirit Summoning), Plato's The Republic (Myth of Er, Book 10), Hesiod's Isle of the Blessed, Vergil's Aeneid (Book 6)

The Greek View of Death: When psyche ("breath"/"soul"),  anima ("soul"/"spirit"), or anemos ("wind") is separated from the soma/corpus ("body"). Literally, when one breathes his/her last. If it is the breath that contains the soul, it can live on in spirit once set free from the body.

Homer's Odyssey (Nekuia, Book 11)

Katabasis ("descent into the underworld") occurs at the farthest reaches of Oceanus, where the sun [literally] sets on living souls. A summoning of spirits requires a libation of milk, honey, wine, water, blood and an animal sacrifice to rehydrate the shades of the dead.
As stated by the shade of Achilles when visited by Odysseus, a common Greek view was that it was better to be a slave on earth than the King of the Dead; Aristophanes furthered the idea that the best thing one could wish for is to never have been born at all; and Milton stated in Paradise Lost that it is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.

Plato's Republic (Myth of Er, Book 10)

One's morality among the living earns proportional punishment and/or reward in the afterlife. Once dead, one's soul serves a quantified sentence whereby they can negotiate the circles of hell based on deed.
Metempsychosis, the transmigration of souls, implies that one has the opportunity to choose a new life after sentence is served out. Souls are reincarnated after drinking from the River Lethe ("forgetfulness")

Vergil's Aeneid (Book 6)

A mixture of Greco-roman myth, religion, and philosophy follows the founder of Rome on his katabasis to illustrate hell.
     Aeneus, son of Aphrodite and Anchises, is ordered to escape the burning Troy and find the new civilization in the west known as Rome. To glimpse a prophecy of the future of his creation, which will outlive him, he descends into hell with the assistance of Cumaen Sybil. Equipped with the Golden Bough sacred to Proserpina, the two offer libations to gain entrance to the opening of the Underworld at the sulphuric Lake Avernus ("birdless") at Cumae. They then meets a series of mythological figures and places:
1. Personified Abstractions (ie. Grief, Cares, Old Age, Worry)
2. Monsters of the Deep (ie. Scylla, Gorgon, Harpies, Chimera)
3. River Acheron ("sorrowful"), which marks the boundary of Hades' realm
4. Charon, Ferryman of the Dead, who mans the only crossing (later traditions they cross the River Styx, "hate"). Golden bough serves as a golden ticket.
5. Cerberus, three-headed hell hound positioned at the far side of the river (no one gets out). Is drugged by meal and honey to allow passage.
6. Thanatos ("death") and Hypnos ("sleep"), winged psychopompous figures.
7. Fork in the road:
     I. Tartarus (left fork): place of punishment for sinners.
     - Surrounded by the flaming River Phlegethon
     - Guarded by the Fury Tisiphone ("punisher")
     - Jury of Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus.
     II. Elesium (right fork) or the Elysian Fields: Reserved for the age of heroes, a paradise realm.
     - Reserved for pure souls, or those that have paid their sentence.
     - Purification ritual of 1000 years completes the circle of time before transmigration.

Sinners

Tityus: tried to rape Leto, mother of Artemis and Apollo. Eternal punishment of having his liver (seat of passion) devoured by vultures daily, only to have it regenerated the next morning.
Tantalus: fed his own son to feasting gods. Eternal punishment of insatiable hunger and thirst while being neck deep in water with sustenance just out of reach.
Sisyphus: cheats Thanatos by chaining him up when he is being claimed, orders wife not to perform burial rights. Eternal punishment of insurmountable task of pushing a boulder to the top of an incline, only to have it fall back again.
Ixion: lusted after Hera, raped Zeus's prototype Nephele Hera ("cloud Hera") but spills his seed on the ground (= birth of Centaurus, father of Centaurs). Eternal punishment of being bound to a rotating wheel of fire.
The Danaids (50 daughters of Danaus, King of Argos): married their cousins, 49 of them which murdered them on their wedding night (except Hypermnestra). Eternally punished of filling leaky water jars (symbolizing impotence, cannot hold seed).

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

Zeus (Ch 5)

Etymology and Epithets:
     (g.) Zeus
     (l.) Jupiter, Ju "sky" + piter/pater "father"
     Dios, Di "bright"
     Imported sky-god with the the migration of patriarchal Indo -European cultures
Domain:
     Dodona, sanctuary worshipped of Dios and Dione (not Hera). Zeus' oracle interpreted the rustling
     of oak tree leaves, burnt offerings, and the cooing of doves to prophecy.
     Peloponnesus, worshipped at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia (Est. 5th c BC), the original site of
     the a sanctuary and temple complex that was the original site of the Olympic games in 776 BCE.
Genealogy: Cronus + Rhea. Husband of Hera, cuckold of many - mortal and immortal.
Claim to Fame: God of all, weather, storms, oaths, xenia ("guest/host relationship"), suppliants.
Iconography: Eagle, sceptre, crown, aegis
Literature: Hesiod's Theogony

Myth

I. Birth: Cronus swallowed each of his six children of Cronus and Rhea (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus), paranoid that the prophecy of Uranus would continue. Rhea and Zeus conspire and substitute a swaddled stone when Zeus is "born" (came to be known as the omphalus, "navel"). While Cronus continues to rule unaware, Zeus is reared in Crete on Mt. Dicte by Amalthea ("goat") and Melissa ("bee"). His cries are hidden from Cronus by the clamouring of the Curetes ("young men"), devotees of the Mother Goddess who wield cymbals and drums. He subsists on the bounty of nature, a cornucopia ("horn of plenty"), until he is of age to overthrow his father.
Zeus symbolizes a fusion of Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures in that he integrates the existing earth religions with the dominant iIndo-European belief system. With his import follow a series of myths that replace indigenous social beliefs of matriarchy, polygamy, and transpomorphism, with patriarchy, monogamy, and anthropomorphism.

II. Coming of Age: Zeus returns to Mt. Othrys and rescues his siblings (and the omphalus) from his father Cronus, then seeks to establish his new rule.
     - Titanomachy: The Olympians, Themis (and her son Prometheus), the Cyclopes, and 100-handers,
        of Mt. Olympus, engage the Titans in a 10 year battle that results in their defeat. They are
        locked away in Tartarus for their misdeeds. Atlas (titan) is punished for his misalliance by the
        penalty of having to physically separate earth and sky, preventing the procreation of any more
        earthy beasts.
     - Gigantomachy: The Gegeneis ("earth born", "giants"), born from the spilled blood of Uranus, sent
       by the titans, and are defeated handily by the Olympians with the help of Heracles.
     - Typhonomachy: Zeus battles Typhon (a.k.a. Typhoeus, Typhaon, son of Gaia and Tartarus), a
       snaky, fire breathing, 100 head (subsequently 100 voices), that set the world aflame. He is
       defeated with some difficulty and is hurled beneath Mt. Etna to Tartarus.
With his nemesis' defeated, Zeus attains the throne on Mt. Olympus and ascends his new rule.

III. Affairs:
     - Metis ("wisdom"), swallowed by Zeus = Athena
     - Mnemosyne (titan, "memory") = Muses, the patron Goddesses of the Arts
     - Themis ("law") = 3 Fates: Clotho ("spinner"), Lachesis ("apportioner"), Atropos ("inflexible")
                                = 3 Horae: Eunomia ("good order"), Dike ("justice"), Eirene ("peace")
     - Eurynome ("wide dominion") = 3 Charites/Gratiae ("Graces"), associated with Aphrodite
     ... And much, much more.

IV. Zeus and Lycaon: Disguised as a mortal to calibrate the moral fibre of mankind, Zeus feasted at the castle of Lycaon, King of Arcadia. To test his divinity, Lycaon serves Zeus human flesh, which evokes the wrath of Zeus to destroy all of mankind. Lycaon is transformed into a wolf (Lykos "wolf"), and Zeus threatens to ignite the world. The Gods, fearful of their own annihilation, suggest he flood the earth instead, of which only the two mortals Deucalon (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha (daughter of Epimetheus) are the sole survivors.
Wracked with guilt, Zeus looks to repopulate the earth. The couple visit the Oracle of Themis, who order them to cover their head, loosen garments, and "toss the bones of the earth over their shoulder". Wily Deucalon reasons that stones are the bones of the earth, so he and Pyrrha obey and form the iron age(his becomes man, hers become women).
The couple has a son, Hellen, who is the eponymous founder of the Hellenes (Greeks).

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.