The World of Man

1. The World of Man

2. Creation of Man • Prometheus created man and animals • Epimetheus gave them gifts, but he forgot man • Prometheus visited Hephaestus, who gave man crafts, and skills, and as a parting gift, fire. • Prometheus tricked Zeus into accepting bones and fat as sacrifice • Zeus punished Prometheus by taking fire from man, but Prometheus stole it back • Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a mountaintop and having a bird peck out his liver every day.

3. Creating Woman, Punishing Man • Pandora was created by the gods to punish Prometheus’ favorite creation • She was given the gifts of beauty, deceitfulness, and insatiable curiosity, as well as a forbidden jar • Epimetheus accepted her from the gods even though Prometheus had warned him not to take gifts from the gods • Pandora opened the jar, letting evil out into the world, but keeping hope concealed within the jar

4. Ages of Man • Gold – Paradise, Utopia, Eden • Silver – Stayed childlike for 100 years, then died • Bronze – Lived by the sword, died by the sword, acquisition and conquering • Iron – Life was hard, people were bad, no one could get ahead

5. Did the Punishment Fit the Crime? • Each of the following characters angered the gods in some way even though many of them were warned beforehand • What crimes were consistently committed? • Purpose(s) for telling these myths?

6. Lycaon • King of Arcadia • Disrespected Zeus • Cannibalism (killed and ate grandson) • Didn’t show hospitality • Family killed by Zeus’ thundebolt • Lycaon became a wolf

7. Arachne • Best human weaver (arete) • Has hybris because she thinks she can weave as well as Athena • Ate makes her challenge Athena to a weaving contest (Athena tries to talk her out of it) • Mocks the gods in her tapestry • Turned into a spider to weave forever

8. Niobe • 7 sons and 7 daughters (arete) • Hybris makes her think she is better than Leto • Ate makes her demand she be worshipped instead of Leto • Artemis and Apollo kill all of her children • She becomes a crying rock formation

9. Erysichthon • Wants to build a bachelor pad so he can party with his friends • Picks Demeter’s sacred grove as his prime real estate (location, location, location!) • Demeter warns him, but he refuses to listen • Demeter has Famine embrace him, he eats his parents out of house and home, and then he eats himself

10. Midas • Rewarded by getting Golden Touch • Realizes it’s not such a gift • Wants to get back to nature • Argues that Pan is a better musician than Apollo • Gets Ass’ ears

11. Daedalus and Icarus • Daedalus brings the wrath of Nemesis upon his family by killing his nephew • Daedalus works for Minos building him a labyrinth which is later used to imprison Daedalus and Icarus, his son • Daedalus builds wings, instructs Icarus not to fly too high nor too low, and off they go into the wild, blue yonder • Icarus flies too high, the wax binding the feathers to the wings melts, and Icarus crashes and burns

12. Phaethon • Phaethon is the son of Helios • Phaethon asks his father to let him fly the chariot of the sun • Phaethon loses control, wreaks havoc upon the earth, and catches one of Zeus’ thunderbolts, which causes him to crash and burn

13. Echo • Double agent status, by working for both Zeus and Hera • Hera finds out and takes away Echo’s free speech • Echo wastes away with longing for Narcissus until she is only a disembodied voice

14. Orpheus • His wife, Eurydice, dies from a snake bite • Orpheus is the greatest human musician • He travels to the underworld to get her back • He makes a deal with Hades himself, but he ultimately fails to bring her back to the land of the living

15. Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be… • These next characters had prophesies or destinies that, try as they might, they could not change • Was the end result destiny or decision making?

16. Narcissus • Narcissus’ mother was told that he would live a good life if he never knew himself • She kept him away from mirrors • He turned inward, shunning all others • He saw himself in a pool, fell in love with himself, asked the gods to release him from the torture of self-love, and died • His body turned into a flower

17. Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta • He killed his father and married his mother • The oracle said it would happen • What more is there to say?

18. Meleager • His destiny was tied to a log • He killed his uncles • His mother took revenge by burning the log, then killing herself

19. Atalanta • The oracle said she would lose herself if she married • She let Hippomenes beat her in a foot race • They were punished for giving in to passion in a sacred place • They were turned into lions • She lost herself all right!