Day 1 (8/22/12)Things to know about MythCertain moments . . .Your behavior can be part of a narrative you tell over and over. . .Stories about others“My, what big teeth you have!” – Little Red Riding Hood“Porridge” – Goldilocks and 3 BearsShared Knowledge of storiesCreates communities, identities, and culturesReligion: ‘narratives of identity’We create stories, and stories create usStories that live on create the community if they live on and help create us which helps us bind us together.What is a ‘Myth’, anyway?Myth vs. Legend vs. saga vs folktale?“All universal theories of myth are automatically wrong”Greek Myth is not:History (but may contain historical elements)Sacred scripture (Greek myth is not Greek religion)A traditional tale wide circulation that has become a traditional tale known by most.“Myth is something that never happened, but always was” – Stephanus of Byzantium (6th cent. AD)Myth: very much aliveEvery country/people has its own mythology.Ex. George Washington and the Cherry Tree.Stories have social functions.Urban mythsEx. Alligator in the SewerCampus LegendsA Greek Myth of CreationOrgin of the CosmosMain source: Hesiod (Poet)Hesiod’s Theogony (Genealogy of the gods)Greek farmer and poet lived around 657 BC.Claimed that the Muses inspired him on Mt. Helicon.Theogony not a ‘sacred text’ his version isn’t 100% right not claiming others are incorrect.Hesiod: “In the beginning there was only Chaos, the Abyss . . .”Chaos: an empty gap, void“But then Gaia, the Earth, came into being . . .”Gaia (or Ge): female, the ground/soil/foundationAfter GaiaTartaros is depths of the earthEros is sexual energy/desireFrom Chaos:Erebos is the “Gloomy darkness” of TartarosNightErebos + Night =Aether (Brightness) and DayGaia/Ge“The ever-firm foundation of all” – Hesiod“The mother of all”“Eldest of Gods, who nourishes all things in the world”Fertility GoddessMakes the children rich in there hearts and Crops.The Children of GaiaOuranos (Sky/The heavens)“Perfect fit on all sides”“A frim foundation for the blessed gods”Lord of the universe, ruler of all he sees.MountainsSeaWith Ouranos:TitansCyclopesHundred-handers (Hecatonchires)Hieros Gamos (“Sacred marriage”)Sky Fathers: Ouranos, Cronos, and ZeusEarth mothers: Gaia, Rheia, and HeraSky fertilized the earth growing from the earth.Anthropomorphism“Having human shape”When humans imangine there gods having a human shape.Ex. Sistine Chapel Human looking god.Hesiod’s early gods and Goddesses:Both elemental (land,sky,etc.) AND anthropomorphicTitans12 in all6 male and 6 femaleEach marry each otherEx. Cronos and RheiaCyclopesGreek kyklos: “Circle”Have one eyeThree strong craftsmenAnthropomorphicHundred-Handers“Gaia’s most dreaded offspring”Three Hecatonchires: each have 100 hands and 50 heads eachThe Revenge of GaiaOuranos fears all these powerful children (Titans, Cyclopes, and Hundred-handers)Wants to rule for eternity.Stuffs them right back into Gaia keeping them from the light because he was scared.Gaia, in pain, creates a flint sickle. . .Gaia asks her sons to seek revenge against there father.… and Cronos (youngest Titan) volunteers to takes action with the flint sickle that his mother (Gaia) Created.Cronos castrates his father.Symbolic separation of earth and sky (Gaia and Ouranos) is common mythological subjectGives a reasoning behind the separation of earth and sky.What to do with the severed genitals?Throws them behind him and land onto the sea.Drops of blood land on GaiaFrom the drops of blood arise:The FuriesThe FuriesSpirits of vengeance, especially for murder within the familyHound you after the crime of killing members of your own familyThe Birth of Aphrodite (Goddess born from the foam)From the white foam (aphros) around Ouranos’ severed genitals comes Aphrodite.Floats near island of Cythera (Cythereia) and goes ashore on cypros (Cyprogenes)Also called Philommedes (genital-loving)The reign of Cronos begins . . .Having deposed his father Ouranos, Cronos frees other 11 Titans.But NOT hundred-handers and Cyclopes.Cronos now king of the Cosmos.Cronos and RheiaOur main source is still Hesiod’s Theogony)Cronos and sister Titan Rheia become the parents of the first Olympian gods:Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and ZeusCronos and Rheia: hieros gamosCronos seeks to maintain powerCronos fears prophecy given by parents:Fated to be overthrown by his own childCronos had faith that he could maintain powerCronos “kept a sharp watch and swallowed his children”Rheia’s plan“Rheia’s grief was unbearable”Consults Gaia and OuranosGoes to island of Crete to give birth to ZeusHides Zeus, youngest of her children by Cronos, in a caveRheia gives Cronos a stone concealed in a blanketCronos is tricked and eats the stone believing it was his child.Zeus fights for PowerFights 2 major battles to secure his power:Vs. TitansVs. Typhoios (a.k.a Typhon)2 versionsPreparations for battleGaia drugs Cronos, who barfs up his childrenZeus frees the Cyclopes, who make weapons:Zeus’ thunderboltsPoseidon’s tridentHades’ helmetTitanomachy (War against the Titans)Enemies of ZeusThe TitansAllies of ZeusBrothers and sister:Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, DemeterCyclopesHundred-handersZeus and his allies triumph10 year warZeus frees the Hundred-handersZeus unleashes his lightning, and consumes the earth in flamesHundred-handers bury Titans under a hail of rocksThe titans are imprisoned down in TartarosZeus’ next challengeGaia + Tartaros and together give birth to Typhoios/Typhon2 versions of Zeus’ fight against Typhoios(1) Zeus alone destroys him(2) Zeus needs some helpVersion 1 (Hesiod)Zeus burns Typhoios with his lightning, hurls him into TartarosTyphoios/Typhon: Source of typhoons (typhoon:”whirlwind”)Tartaros is 9 days of a dropping Anvil into the ground.Version 2 (Apollodorus D2, Antoninus Liberalis 28)(Occurs a while after the Titanomachy)The gods flee from Typhoios; only Zeus stands against himTyphoios pursues the other gods, who escape by turning into animals.Zeus attacks with lightning and sickleTyphoios grabs sickle, cuts tendons out of Zeus’ hands and feetTyphoios tosses Zeus into a cave, hides tendons in a bearskinSeems that Zeus’ rain is overSets dragon to guard the caveHermes rescues Zeus (God of Thieves)Zeus attacks again crushing Typhoios under Mt.Aitna (Sicily) that he picks up.Etiological mythsAn etiological myth