Goddess

1. Goddess By: Miss Willard

2. The Fairest of Meanest of Them All • Powerful, beautiful, immortal versions of humans • Did things human women do • Marriage • Affairs • Kids • Fought and made up with husbands and lovers • Often resented powerful males

3. Queen Hera • Protector of marriage (except her own) • Zeus’ wife and sister; daughter of Rhea and Cronos • Girlhood, matrimony, motherhood, widowhood • Depicted sitting on a thrown = noble • Mother of Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus • The latter, she bore on her own for revenge on Zeus’ giving birth to Athena all by himself

4. “The Widow” • An ironic epithet that refers to the frequency with which Zeus cheated on her

5. That no good man of Hera’s • Always seeking revenge • Callisto = turned her into a bear • Before Callisto’s son could kill her as a bear, Zeus snatched her up and saved her life • The constellation = Big Bear • Origin of the Festival of Wooden Statues • Zeus’ ploy to win Hera back

6. More Revenge • Alcmena = Heracles = “famous because of Hera • Milky Way • Crazy Heracles • Made up in Death

7. Aphrodite, Fertile Femme Fatale • Goddess of Love and Beauty, born from the foam formed from a drop of Uranus’ blood that fell into the sea when Cronos mutilated him. • Good and bad • Seductive charm • Desire for children • Capacity for deception

8. Most Popular • In charge of sexuality and reproduction • Brides • Prostitutes • Poets

9. The Love Triangle • Married Hephaestus • Ugly • They didn’t get along • Truly loved Ares

10. Eros • Her son, not the one born from chaos • Cupid • Used him to shoot certain “targets”

11. Adonis • Human man that Aphrodite immediately fell in love with • Sent him to the Underworld with Persephone for safekeeping • Persephone fell in the love with him too!!

12. Zeus to the rescue • Autumn and winter = Persephone • Summer and spring = Aphrodite • Helped Persephone cope because she had to spend the autumns and winters in the underworld

13. Adonis continued • Loved to hunt • Aphrodite = huntress • His battle with a Boar • Killed him • Kissed him as he died • Blood on ground = anemones, or windflowers

14. Mother Nature, Demeter • Earth goddess = didn’t live on Mount Olympus • Made the grain grow in the fields • Sometimes called the Unnamed Maiden • Unlucky to name such a powerful goddess

15. Seasons • Daughter = Persephone • Hades wanted her • Zeus helped trick her • Narcissus • Snatched her up and took her to the underworld • Persephone = mad • Gave her a pomegranate to eat while she was there to remember him by • Eat in the underworld = spend 6 months there

16. Seasons continued… • Demeter = upset • Mourned when daughter was gone = no plants grew = fall and winter • Happy when daughter was with her = Blooms everywhere = spring and summer

17. The Virgin Goddesses • Look but don’t touch! • Artemis • Men wanted but could never have • Athena • Most known virgin • Parthenon • Parthenos = virgin • Too powerful, too impressive, too scary

18. The real G-I Jane • How Athena came to be: • Zeus and Metis • Feminine abstractions • Didn’t really want Zeus • Gaia told him that after she bore his daughter, she would bear a son that would overthrow him • Zeus swallowed Metis, baby and all • Athena gestated in his head, and then out she came, armor and all! • Athena = Hephaestus

19. Goddess of War • Always armed • Shield with the head of Medusa on it • Zeus’ aegis • Poncho made of goatskin with a fringe • Impervious to any weapon • Zeus’ lightning • Aegis Combat System • Warships with radar, computers, rapid fire guns, guided missiles, etc.

20. Stories • Tried music • Didn’t like her cheeks all puffed out • Marsyas, son of Olympus, picked them up • He and Apollo had a contest • Pops up occasionally in the Odyssey • Helps Perseus kill Medusa

21. The Pretty Huntress • Artemis = Apollo’s twin sister • Daughter of Zeus and the Titan, Leto • Of course, Hera was mad • Goddess of the hunt • Always had bow and arrow • Watched over young animals

22. Duties • She presided over women’s transitions • Virgin to woman • Woman to mother • Ironic • She protected women • But also brought them sudden death • As did Apollo for the men

23. Comes in a lot of Flavors • Complicated = worshiped for different things in different places • Feminine verses Masculine • Sometimes known as the goddess who pulls the moon across the sky every night • Moon goddess aka Selene

24. OK, I’ll Just Have to Kill You • Not a goddess to cross • Revenge = swift and straightforward • Niobe = 7 sons and 7 daughters • Bragged about it = better than Leto • Artemis killed all daughters • Apollo killed all sons • Now who’s better?

25. OK, I’ll Just Have to Kill You, cont. • Acteon • Hunter with dogs • Accidentally saw Artemis • Bathing in a pond • She turned him into a stag • His own dogs tore him apart • Callisto - a different version • Didn’t like to see female counterparts lose their virginity

26. Hestia, goddess of good fire • Firstborn of Cronus and Rhea • Goddess of the hearth

27. But what is a hearth? • Center of the home • Families made daily offerings • Like saying grace • New members were initiated by rituals around the hearth • Brides • Babies • Slaves • Each city had a public hearth dedicated to her

28. A Few More (Grammatically Feminine) • Strife (Eris) • Powerful actor in human affairs • Bad = wars • Good = free enterprise • Victory (Nike) • Temple in Athens • Often had wings, except in Athens • Athena • Wisdom (Sophia) • Feminine abstraction turning up as Greek divinity

29. Goddess Groups • Minor goddesses appear in teams • Muses • Graces • Fates • Furies • The number of three

30. Muses • Nine of them • Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne = memory • Handled artistic endeavors • Poets and artists depended on them • Sculptors used them for subjects

31. Muses • Polyhymnia – the sponsor of hymns to the gods • Urania – the muse of astronomy • Calliope – the muse of epic poetry • Thalia – the muse of comedy • Terpsichore – the muse of choral singing (lyrical poetry) and dancing • Clio – the muse of history • Euterpe – the muse of flute playing • Melpomene – the muse of tragedy • Erato – the muse of poetry not accompanied by dancing, specially love poetry, hence her name

32. Muses • Inspiration • “Tell me, Muse, about a man of many ways…”

33. Graces • Three graces • Daughter of Zeus and Eurynome, the daughter of the Titan Oceanus • Brought grace and beauty everywhere they went • No party was complete without them • Closely associated with Aphrodite

34. Graces • Aglaia – the grace of splendor or radiance • Euphrosyne – the grace of joy and mirth • Thalia – the grace of good cheer and flowering • Liked poetry, singing, and dancing • Performed at divine weddings • Made flowers grow, especially roses

35. Fates • Another trio • Daughter of Zeus and Themis (or of Night) • Decided the course of every person’s life from birth to death, by spinning thread

36. Fates • Clotho (spinner and twister) – she spun the thread. She was depicted as a beautiful young woman. • Lachesis (the Lot Caster) – She determined the course of a person’s life. She was a middle-aged woman, like the mother. • Atropos (the Unyielding one) – this dreaded lady cut the thread with her scissors, ending the person’s life. She was an old hag.

37. Fates • Piece of string = Important! • Fate = when one will die • Doesn’t determine what happens in the meantime • Hector, Trojan warrior • Olympian gods = powerless against them • Zeus tries to save favorite heroes • Athena and Hera won’t let him upset the natural order of things

38. Furies • Born same as Aphrodite • Sometimes depicted with snakes for hair • Punished those who incurred miasma • Killed relatives • Slaughtered people in temples • Murdered a host

39. Furies • Also protected beggars • Assured the natural order of things • The birthright of eldest son • Some say many, others say THREE • Tisiphone • Allecto • Megaera • Filled in gaps where human law failed

40. The END FINALLY!