RELGST 0083 1st Edition Exam 2 Study Guide Chapters 9 18 Chapter 9 Female deities were for the most part fertility goddesses with the exception of Athena Demeter Responsible for fertility of earth Chapter 10 is dedicated to myths of Demeter and Persephone and other fertility myths Hestia Oldest child of Cronus and Rhea Goddess of the hearth closely associated with Roman Vesta Also protectress of city the enlarged family and its hearth Always a virgin and never left Mt Olympus Few myths about her Zeus granted her to sit in middle of the house receiving the fat of the offerings to be honored in all temples and respected among all men Aphrodite Born of foam of severed genitals of Uranus Another version says she is offspring of Zeus and Dione his first wife Representative of ambivalent female nature combining seductive charm need to procreate capacity for deception reminiscent of Pandora Cults existed over wide area Cyprus home of most famous cult city of Paphos Worshipped as presiding over sexuality and reproduction Also had connections with fertility of earth Worshipped by prostitutes Together with Hermes had child Hermaphroditus Story of Pygmalion Pygmalion king of Cyprus disgusted with morals of women Created statue of ideal woman out of stone Falls in love with statue Prays to Aphrodite Venus for statue to come alive Statue came to life and Pygmalion and Galatea married Story of Aphrodite and Adonis Aphrodite fell in love with Adonis when he sprang forth from myrrh tree Adonis cared only for hunting Aphrodite warned him against pursuing big game but he ignored her warnings Adonis was gored by a boar and he bled to death Aphrodite made blood red anemones sprout from his blood Story of Aphrodite and Anchises Unusual for goddess to mate with mortal Zeus made her fall in love with Anchises She comes to Anchises in disguise and they sleep together She reveals herself to Anchises epiphany and bears a child Aeneas Anchises is forbidden to tell who the mother of this child is He violates this prohibition and is punished made lame Artemis Sister of Apollo daughter of Zeus and Leto Virgin huntress Presided over women s transitions from parthenos virgin to gyne woman and over childbirth Also concerned with male activities rites of transition into adulthood Hunting and certain aspects of war Firm association with wild and protector of young animals Story of Actaeon Actaeon very accomplished hunter Accidentally witnessed Artemis bathing at the end of his day of hunting with his hounds Artemis is offended and turns Actaeon into stag who is hunted down by the hounds Story could be seen as allegory about spending too much money on hounds Story of Callisto Callisto a nymph took a vow of chastity hunted together with Artemis Zeus appeared to Callisto in form of Artemis or Apollo and raped her When Artemis found out that Callisto was pregnant she was angry and transformed Callisto into a bear Artemis shot and killed the bear but Hermes rescued Callisto s child called Arcas bear eponym of the Arcadians Athena Paradoxical nature Skilled at preparations of clothes weaving patroness of women s handicrafts Fearless and skilled in strategies of battle Unites in her the characteristic excellences of both sexes At greater Panathenaia in Athens she was given robe woven by maidens showing battle of the gods and giants Also patroness of metalworking and technology Shared festival with Hephaestus She is helper of male heroes Protectress of cities Story of Arachne Arachne guilty of hybris claimed she could weave better than Athena Athena in disguise sets up weaving contest Athena gives Arachne chance to take back her boasting Arachne refused Contest goes on Athena could find no fault in Arachne s weaving and is furious Athens rips robe to pieces and transforms Arachne into spider metamorphosis Chapter 10 The idea of female power being responsible for new life not only applies to creation of world in succession myths encountered in Chapter 4 female power also involved in continual pattern of renewal of life in both plants and animals Fertility Goddesses goddesses associated with this power Fertility of the soil Reproduction of wild animals Sexual attraction of men and women In Greek myth not a single goddess of fertility instead compartmentalization of function o Hera marriage and family o Aphrodite human sexuality o Artemis fertility of wild animals o Demeter goddess of grain and harvest closest to Great Mother goddess of other cultures Close association between female underworld death of the male and focus on cyclical processes Demeter and Persephone Persephone daughter of Demeter and Zeus was carried off by Hades brother of Zeus and Demeter to underworld o While picking flowers one day Persephone was abducted by Hades o She s screaming for help and finally Demeter hears but can t find anyone who knows what happened o Demeter cannot find anyone who knows what happened but finally finds Hecate who heard something o They go to see Helius and address him who reveals Hades took her with Zeus approval o Helius reveals it was Hades with Zeus approval who took Persephone o Demeter is so upset that she doesn t allow anything to grow a plague on the crops o Zeus summons her she refuses to come to Olympus he sends Rhea to her o Zeus sends Hermes to get Persephone o Hades agrees to let her go Hades gives Persephone pomegranate seed and she eats it This is a trick to ensure her return to underworld o Mother and daughter are reunited o Persephone tells her story reveals she has eaten pomegranate seed o A compromise is made Persephone with her mother 2 3 of year in underworld 1 3 A Story an etiology for the cult of Demeter Eleusinian mysteries and the afterlife Observations The Myth of Demeter and Persephone Considered an agricultural allegory o When Persephone returns to earth growth of new crop Allegory of mother losing her daughter when she marries o Death to childhood she ate pomegranate and cannot return to previous state o She is of both worlds but not wholly part of either She has no children Demeter represents loss mother feels for any child lost also to war or disease Etiology for death in world life depends on death Eleusinian Mysteries Mysteries property of Athens from about 600 BC Initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in Greece o Only initiates could enter temple for mysteries and could not reveal what went on inside o All who spoke Greek could be